A man threw oil at his noisy neighbours’ door after suffering sleepless nights during which he had to retire to his car to get some rest, a court heard yesterday.

Anthony Cutajar, 46, from Fgura, admitted in court to being responsible for the damage but said he was reacting to “years of problems” and to the noise he had had to endure for so long.

At one point during the proceedings, bickering broke out between Mr Cutajar and his neighbour, Josephine Zammit, who was present in court. They receiving a dressing down from Magistrate Edwina Grima, who told them to pipe down.

Addressing the magistrate, Mr Cutajar said: “I have sometimes had to sleep in my car because they cannot stop banging chairs. I threw oil at her door because I have been putting up with them for years. I have had to sleep in my car and I have to leave my home because I’m at wits’ end.”

Ms Zammit denied that anything of the sort had happened, adding that the damage to the door was not expensive and all she wanted was to be left alone.

The magistrate told Mr Cutajar that if there were any more problems with noise he would have to file a police report.

Mr Cutajar was conditionally discharged for three years.