A noisy neighbour lashed out with a scythe at a father who asked him to turn down his blaring television, a court heard.

Kenneth Whitear left Clayton Turner's eyebrow hanging by a thread of skin, Hove Crown Court was told.

Mr Turner also suffered wounds to his hand and leg from the grass cutting tool's 12 inch blade, the court heard.

Mr Turner, a train driving instructor, was left with permanent scars from his injuries, which also include two bite marks on his arms.

Whitear is accused of inflicting the wounds after Mr Turner complained about noise from his radio and television at 7.30am.

Mr Turner told the court his 12-year-old daughter Shan was also bitten when she tried to intervene.

He added: "He thumped my wife twice on the head when she came out and ripped off her nightdress. She was naked and had to run back into the house."

Whitear, 53, of Amundsen Road, Horsham, denies grievous bodily harm with intent on January 15. He also denies assault by beating Mr Turner's wife Alison and daughter.

Kim Halsall, prosecuting, said Whitear had not got on with the Turners since they moved in next door five years ago.

She said: "On this morning Kenneth Whitear lost his temper and used what has been described as a scythe, sickle or bill-hook on his neighbour causing serious injuries."

Mr Turner said: "We have had problems with him almost from the day we moved in.

"He has threatened our pets and my wife's friend and we have had constant noise from his television and radio.

"It would be on exceptionally loud from 4.30am until 8pm and you could hear it from the top of the road. We would ask him to turn it down and he would not respond. It happened every day."

Mr Turner said he heard someone shout the word 'bully' three times when he went to his garage at 7.30am on the day of the alleged attack.

A few minutes later he heard the sound of Whitear's television and radio being turned on loud.

Mr Turner said he went to ask Whitear to turn it down because it was early and people in the cul-de-sac were still asleep.

He said: "He ran towards me and raised his arm. At the last moment I saw something glinting and put my hand up to defend myself.

"I felt a blow on my head and at first thought I had been hit with a baseball bat.

"It took four or five seconds for the wound to open up. The skin fell down and covered my eye and was bleeding.

"I did not want anything else to happen so I grabbed him and bundled him on to the floor to stop him.

"I knew it was a lot more serious than just a bump on the head because of the blood coming out."

Mr Turner showed the jury the scars on his arm where he was allegedly bitten and another scar across his calf where the scythe had caught him during the attack.

He had also been left with a crescent shaped scar over his left eye which needed plastic surgery.

Mr Turner said he had not been able to return to work since the incident because the vision in his left eye was still blurred.

The trial continues.