A mother accused of keeping her neighbours awake with late-night music has been fined again by magistrates.

Tracey Brown, 35, was prosecuted at Brighton Magistrates Court for breaching a noise abatement notice for the second time.

She failed to appear at court and the case against her was proved in her absence.

Magistrates fined her £800 and ordered her to pay £750 costs to Brighton and Hove City Council.

The council also seized her equipment which can play music, including CDs, DVDs, games consoles, televisions and stereos, which the court ordered to be forfeited.

In August last year she was fined £135, with £100 costs, for breaching the notice with karaoke sessions in the early hours at her home in St Helen's Road, Brighton.

At yesterday's hearing Len Batten, prosecuting, for the city council, told the court Brown, who is also known by the surname Lyons, was served with a noise abatement notice in December 2006 after repeated complaints from her neighbours.

Mr Batten read statements from Mark and Charlotte Taylor, both nurses, who live next door and complain their lives have been made a misery by the noise.

The couple, who have young children, say they have been suffering for eight years from noise from their neighbour.

As well as loud music, they have been disturbed by DIY at unsocial hours, shouting, swearing and singing.

Mr Batten said when the couple complained they were ignored or abused.

Mr Taylor stated: "My wife and I feel the noise disturbance is distressing. We don't like confrontation and at times feel completely helpless."

On February 20 the council's noise patrol was called out at 10.30pm because of the loud music and when they arrived outside Brown's terraced council house they could hear Wonderwall by Oasis.

An environmental health officer reported hearing the loud music inside the neighbour's home and described how a rhythmic base beat could be heard above the television.

At the hearing last August Brown told the court her daughters were to blame for the loud music while she was asleep.

She said she was deaf and took sleeping pills because she was an insomniac.