Neighbours' view on Assange drama: 'Talk about disruption. It's not nice living amid all this'

It may be a major diplomatic incident, but for the people living near the Ecuadorean embassy, where Julian Assange, his supporters and the world's media are encamped, the circus is just an annoyance.

The streets behind Harrods in London's Knightsbridge are not exactly quiet on a normal day. The people who live in the flats or work in the embassy buildings are used to mixing with visitors from all over the world. But the furore over Ecuador's decision to accept Mr Assange's asylum claim has been something else altogether. "Talk about disruption. It is not very nice to have to live in the midst of all of this," said one neighbour, who did not want to be named.

Her flat overlooks the embassy, outside of which pro-Assange activists have been chanting slogans and playing music through a loudspeaker.

Lucy Abram, a 28-year-old actress, lives in a nearby apartment. She said: "The chanting is weird, it goes on until around 9pm, then it dies off. Before then, though, the noise is constant. I do find it interesting being on the front line of a major news story but it will get tiring quite quickly."