A female illegal immigrant had part of a finger bitten off by another migrant woman in an argument over wash basin water, a court was told today.

Amran Abdi Sheik Ahmed, 25 and Nasra Mohammed Khalif, 23, both Somali, argued over who should be next to wash her clothes at the wash basin available to them yesterday at about 3 p.m.

Nasra bit off half of one of Amran fingers and Amran then bit her cheek.

Police inspector Priscilla Caruana testified that both injuries were considered serious.

Magistrate Miriam Hayman condemned the migrants to a one year prison sentence suspended for two years.

The two woman, who each have two small children, have now been discharged from the Hal Far open centre, where the fight took place (and not Marsa as previously reported).

The children have been able to stay with their fathers at the centre.