Mick Jagger's band played Oberhausen, near Essen, on Friday

German police in Essen were flooded with noise complaints after rock band The Rolling Stones played the city on Friday.

But most of the complainants originally thought the noise was from their neighbours.

"My neighbour has been blasting out music since six o'clock," one resident complained to police. The noise was actually from the Stones concert in Oberhausen, several miles away.

The Rolling Stones are currently playing European dates of a world tour which started in the US last year.

Germany has strict rules over noise control, especially after 10pm.

One complainant, when told the noise was from the Stones concert, said: "If that's the case, I'll sit on my balcony and listen."

The Rolling Stones were supported by rock band AC/DC.

Boehse Onkelz will support the Stones in August

The band have courted controversy with one of the dates in their German leg of the tour due to the early far-right leanings of one of their support bands.

Boehse Onkelz - otherwise known as the Evil Uncles - admitted they had once recorded a racist song but said they had severed any connections with far right groups almost 20 years ago.

The Stones pledged their support for the group, who will play on 8 August at the Stones' Hanover concert.

"They seem to have renounced any tenuous links they may have had to any right-wing organisations so we take that as proof of their good faith and we will keep them on the show," said Stones singer Mick Jagger earlier this month.

The Rolling Stones also hit headlines when they cancelled dates in China, Hong Kong and Singapore earlier this year because of the outbreak of the Sars virus in Asia.