A WARRING neighbour has been prosecuted – after a row broke out over some gargoyles.

A court was told Stephen Adams was in the midst of a heated boundary dispute with Brian Smoothy and the pair had fallen out.

But he really lost his rag when he came home to find the gargoyle ornaments had been taken up and placed on his front mat.

He immediately assumed it was his neighbour, in the Drakes, Shoebury, and decided to retaliate by wedging a piece under the man’s shed so he could move it a few yards.

Unfortunately he ended up causing permanent damage to the shed, two days before Christmas.

On hearing about the land disspute, Robert Caccavale, chairman of the bench at Southend Magistrates Court, said: “You should go through the proper channels. If you’ve got a land dispute with your neighbour there are means in this country to get them resolved.”

“You can’t go knocking his shed down.”

The court heard previous criminal damages had been committed by Adams in the past towards the same victim.

Adams said he had also called the police on previous occasions but was told it was a civil matter.

Adams pleaded guilty to criminal damage and was given a 12 month conditional discharge, and must pay £100 compensation to his neighbour, £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.