A BURLY offshore worker fractured another man's eye socket and nose when a simmering feud between neighbours erupted into violence.

Neil Putson felled Ian Nixon with a single punch when they clashed in the street in Vancouver Gardens, Middlesbrough, last summer.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday (Friday, February 14) that there had been ongoing trouble between the two families about car parking spaces and noise.

Putson's parents and brother lived next door to Mr Nixon and his partner, who were said to have had to call out the police previously.

On June 27, there was a disagreement about banging which went on until late at night, prosecutor Harry Hadfield told Judge Howard Crowson.

Oil rig engineer Putson, 34, was called at a nearby pub by his family, turned up and beckoned Mr Nixon outside where he punched him.

The victim fell backwards, cracked his head on the ground and was found by his partner unconscious and covered in blood, said Mr Hadfield.

Putson, of Meadowcroft Mews, Castleford, West Yorkshire, admitted a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm at an earlier hearing.

He was given a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 150 hours of unpaid work, and was told to pay £2,000 compensation.

Judge Crowson described as "an ugly incident" and told his lawyer, Nick Peacock: "There is no doubt at all he could easily have gone to jail."

He added: "On the other hand, the man would struggle to get any money out of him, because if he went to prison he would lose his job."

Mr Peacock told the court that Putson handed himself in to police several hours after the assault, and "effectively made admissions".

The judge added: "I have read in the report that you are ashamed of what you did. I am pleased about that. You acknowledge you were wrong."