Angry residents today demanded Notting Hill Carnival organisers move the festival elsewhere as they boarded up their homes ahead of the street party this weekend.

Two million people are expected to descend on the area for the annual carnival in west London - which is the world's second biggest after Rio de Janeiro's.

But today people living near the procession route said they were fed up with the “hassle” of spending hundreds of pounds protecting their homes and gardens each year.

Paul Fagan, who lives on Northumberland Place, employed someone to board up his house and will be going away for the weekend.

“We’ve just moved in and we’ve been told that people defecate in front gardens,” he said.

“As London property prices have got really expensive, it’s not appropriate for the residents living in the street.

“I think the residents of this area have changed quite a lot since the carnival started so it’s not so much for the residents here now.”

Dave Higgins spent Friday protecting his mum’s house on Moorhouse Road. “She gets so much hassle every year,” he said.

“The year before last she came out with people peeing downstairs and crapping. They then pulled one of these window boxes down and started throwing bottles.”

Council tenant Joseph Cox, 70, who has lived on Ledbury Road for 25 years, said: “I have to put boards up - we have been threatened in the past.

“I have had about half a dozen people in this garden refusing to move, they come down to the basement. It’s like an invasion, it’s ridiculous.

“I’m not against anybody enjoying themselves, but when people get drunk everything goes to hell.”

He said when the carnival first started “it was great” but in recent years commercialisation has seen it move away from its traditional roots.

“They should start moving it because it’s getting ridiculous,” he said. “It’s just become a rip off.”

Vishal Lee, a contractor employed with Uxbridge Commercial who board up some homes, said he charged £400 to board up one property.

Builders Adrian and Lucasz said they are spending Friday and Saturday boarding up around 100 shops and homes, starting at 8am in the morning and finishing at around midnight both days.

In July this year carnival bosses promised to double security after angry residents complained of the surge in violence and knife crime at last year’s event.

Last year 407 arrests were made – the highest number since 2008. Forty weapons were seized by police and eight officers were injured.

Lewis Benn, trustee director of the Notting Hill Carnival Trust, promised residents 2,000 stewards would be on the streets – up from just 800 last year.

But Mr Cox said the noise also causes problems. “The thing is when it first started it was great and the local people used to come out and then all of a sudden it became commercialised.

“Years ago you used to get steel bands and now they put up these huge speakers and it’s all this drum and bass. And they all try and outdo each other. “

He also said he was concerned about the carnival being a target for terrorism because of the big crowds.