An octogenarian incensed by his noisy neighbours' building work flipped and attacked him with a baseball bat.

Croydon Magistrates Court heard on Thursday (March 8) how John Payne, 82, layed into his neighbours' builder Lukasz Nochowicz punching him twice in the face before wielding the bat.

The builder had tried to stop him entering the semi-detached property adjoining Paynes', which belonged to Jaspal Sidhu, who would later feel Mr Payne's wrath.

Prosecutor, Mr John Gardner, told the court: "Mr Nochowicz grabbed his arm and Payne turned and punched him twice with his right hand to the nose and mouth."

The builder rushed to the sink in pain and later told police: "I was shocked and bleeding heavily."

Payne, of Oaks Avenue, Worcester Park, lost it when his neighbour, Mr Sidhu, reneged on an agreement to only carry out building work before 5pm.

Mr Gardner told magistrates how the Sidhu family had immediately began renovations on the quiet street after introducing themselves to Payne and his 79 year-old wife with a box of chocolates.

But three weeks later, the retired 82-year-old kicked opened his neighbours front door and attacked Mr Nochowicz.

Mr Sidhu was telephoned and immediately returned home and knocked on Payne's front door.

The victim told police: "He had a red bat in his left hand and raised the bat and struck me with it on the right side of the face.

"I believe if I had not moved I would have suffered a far more serious blow to my head. He then hit me again on the right side of the body near my rib cage."

Mr Sidhu feared he was about to be hit for a third time and karate-kicked Payne, who fell to the floor.

Payne was given a conditional discharge at Croydon Magistrates Court for his attack on October 10 last year.

Payne told magistrates: "We was quite friendly until he started all this building lark."