Somerset house party turns into orgy

The multi-millionaire owner of Halswell House in Somerset, Grahame Bond, was still reeling yesterday after hiring out his 30-room house to a Dutch company for a private party which turned into a no-holds-barred orgy. The 17th century manor house is more normally used for corporate bashes and wedding receptions.

According to the Independent, staff assumed they were dealing with a swish fancy dress party when guests, who paid £65 for tickets, began pouring out of Aston Martins, Porsches and BMWs on Saturday evening. All appeared normal as they drank kir royals and champagne. But then, on the stroke of midnight, all hell broke lose.

Said Bond: "There was a man ­ the party organiser ­ telling guests in a loud voice that they were all under a spell. Then he told them that if they kissed a guest the spell would be broken. I couldn't believe my eyes. It suddenly turned into a scene from Eyes Wide Shut.

"Everywhere there were couples having sex," he went on. "Over the banisters alone I counted four couples at it." Security guards gave up trying to persuade copulating couples to go to their rooms because almost every guest was at it.

The Independent has discovered that the party was hosted by Little Sins, a Netherlands company which specialises in throwing luxury swingers' parties across Europe.

"Known as an 'Eyes Wide Sin' party, anyone attending must be over the age of 21 and men can only join if they are part of a couple," the paper reports. "The dress code is strictly monitored by a 'doorbabe', who makes sure that anyone attending the party has obeyed the sartorial requirements. Once inside, pretty much anything goes."

Bond, a property developer who bought Halswell House in 2004, told the Independent: "The chap who organised it told me that in Holland they are all rather used to these things, but because this doesn't happen much in Britain he said the guests really went for it. He certainly wasn't wrong." ·