A LONG-serving councillor brawled in the street for several minutes in front of children, kneeing her neighbour in the face and pulling clumps of her hair out, a court has heard.

York Magistrates Court was told Richmondshire District Council's planning committee chairman Jane Parlour said she had grabbed Elizabeth Kearney's hair to defend herself on July 13 last year, when a scuffle broke out outside her home in Dalton-on-Tees, near Darlington.

Catriona Murdoch, prosecuting, said Miss Parlour, a farmer, had calmly explained the dangers of playing on a stack of hay bales to a group of children, before an argument broke out with her former friend and neighbour of 14 years.

She said after Mrs Kearney told the 52-year-old she was "a crank", the councillor grabbed hold of the shop worker's hair with two hands and twice pushed her into a hedge.

Miss Murdoch said: "This was a vicious and quickly escalating assault caused by the defendant."

One child told the court Miss Parlour appeared dominant, while another said how Mrs Kearney was bent double and had her jumper pulled up as Miss Parlour made numerous attempts to knee Mrs Kearney in the face, hitting her nose at least once.

One child, who was standing yards away, said: "Jane was jumping up and down trying to knee her in the face.

"Liz just had her hands up trying to defend herself."

He said he later saw Mrs Kearney with bruises and lots of hair that had been ripped out after her husband, Neil, had sprinted up the street after hearing "screaming like cats" and separated the women, knocking Miss Parlour to the ground.

The court was told Miss Parlour, who has served as chairman of the North Yorkshire Building Control Partnership, had claimed Mr Kearney rugby tackled her and raised his fist, but witnesses said they had not seen that and the court was told the roofer had been cleared by police of any wrongdoing.

Mrs Kearney said the incident had had a devastating impact on both her and her family.

She said: "I have lost two and a half stone, I have had panic attacks, I have had to change jobs."

Police attended the scene and offered a community resolution, in which offenders may receive advice about their behaviour, apologise to the victim, and pay compensation, but Miss Parlour refused as she felt she was the victim.

Miss Parlour denies assault and using threatening or abusive words.

The trial was adjourned until March 17, when the defence case will be heard.