A NOISY neighbour was given a rude awakening himself when he returned home to find it had been broken into and his property damaged.

William Park was so fed-up with the late-night racket coming from Anthony Taylor's home in Darlington that he sneaked in to smash up his music system.

Park and his family had been kept awake for weeks by parties which went on until 4.30am.

A week before Christmas, Park's partner, Karen Jones, called police to say a party in Mr Taylor's garden was keeping their children awake.

Then on Christmas Eve, as Park was returning from a night out, he broke into the empty house and turned on all the taps, a court was told.

Mr Taylor also discovered an iron had been stolen, a picture was damaged, curtains ripped and some plates broken.

Teesside Crown Court was told that Mr Taylor saw Park and a youngster near his home in Eldon Street when he returned at night.

Park told him he had called the police after seeing someone jump over his fence and run off towards Whessoe Road, said Richard Cowen, prosecuting.

Mr Taylor then realised the kitchen window had been smashed and could hear water running in the kitchen and upstairs.

Mr Cowen told the court that there was very little water in the bath, which indicated it had not been long since the intruder fled.

The incident was in 2004, but it took until last October for Park to be arrested after new tests were carried out on DNA found at the scene.

The cold-case review linked 41- year-old Park, also of Eldon Street, to the blood on a kitchen worktop, said Mr Cowen.

Dan Cordey, mitigating, said: "He has kept out of trouble for a decade apart from this, which has now come back to haunt him.

"He, at the end of his tether, drunk, on his way back from a Christmas party, went into someone's house with the intention of smashing up the music system.

"He had done the right thing in contacting the police and the council, but then in a drunken state, on the spur of the moment, did this very stupid thing."

Park, who is unemployed but hopes to start work soon for a carpet company, admitted burglary with intent to cause criminal damage, and was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work.