A drunken Evesham man fired an airgun at a neighbour's door after complaining about noise which had upset his girlfriend, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Edward Fray went down to the flat beneath his own last Christmas Eve and asked the occupants to turn down the music.

But ten minutes later he returned, shouted a death threat and opened fire on the closed door.

One occupant told police he saw a black gun with a telescopic sight and thought his life was in danger, said Nigel Stelling, prosecuting.

The incident left him feeling very scared and he found it difficult to go out afterwards.

Fray (31) of St Christopher's Court, Worcester Road, Evesham, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a firearm without a certificate.

Recorder Michael Morse said he was so drunk that it was possible he had not properly registered what was happening.

He said Fray, who suffered from an anger problem, had kept out of trouble for ten years and had been honest about the incident with police.

He gave him an 18-month community rehabilitation order and also told him to carry out 100 hours unpaid community work.

Abigail Nixon, defending, said Fray, a self-employed plasterer, and his girlfriend had lived in the flats for five years. But they had experienced neighbour problems for 12 months.

While Fray was at the pub, his partner had been busy wrapping Christmas presents - but their home had been vibrating from the noise downstairs.

She conceded that Fray was impolite when he asked for the music to be truned down but insisted he was given abuse back.

Miss Nixon added: "He was at the end of his tether, worn down by noise, and lost his temper."

She said his girlfriend suffered from depression and relied on Fray heavily. She lost one-and-half stones worrying about the possibility of him being jailed.

The couple, who were paying £470 a month for their mortgage, were now planning to move to a new home.