A WOMAN hurled ginger hair insults at her neighbour and threatened to “smash her face in”, a court heard.

Victoria Sykes, 27, swore, harassed and shouted ginger hair-related insults at her former neighbour Keyley Field, Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday.

The first incident was on January 12, when Ms Field left her address in Harwich and heard Sykes shouting at her from next door.

Sykes swore at Ms Field and insulted her ginger hair and called her a terrible mother.

Ms Field was ten weeks pregnant at the time.

Rima Begum, prosecuting, said: “The victim returned to her address and the defendant said she was going to ‘smash her face in’.

“At one point Ms Field was in her kitchen and heard the defendant say ‘Come outside I want to fight you’.”

Ms Field was then harassed by Sykes who shouted abuse at her on January 25 as she was walking back from a train station following a hospital check-up.

Ms Begum said Sykes shouted at her in the street making derogatory remarks about her ginger hair again.

Ms Field was with her partner at the time who stood between the pair to protect her.

A victim statement written by Ms Field was read to the court.

It said: “I am pregnant and the stress is not good for me or my baby.

“I do not sleep well or like going out on my own. I feel scared living next to Sykes.

“This is also affecting my children as they get upset and play up more than normal.”

Sykes admitted charges of threatening behaviour with intent to cause unlawful violence and to harassment without violence.

Gavin Burrell, mitigating, said the issue was that the victim and defendant were once friends.

He told the court Ms Field was also insulting to Sykes.

He said: “Since these incidents the defendant has removed herself from the accommodation and there is no on-going conflict.

“The parties are no longer living next door to each other.”

Sykes now lives in the Esplanade Hotel in Clacton.

She was sentenced to 150 hours unpaid community work and told the sentence will increase if she breaks the requirements by the court.

Sykes was also ordered to pay £335 and was given a restraining order not to contact the victim for 12 months.