A man has been jailed after wielding a hammer and knife as part of a neighbour dispute in Kilbirnie.

Dale McLachlan, 60, appeared from custody at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court as he pleaded guilty to two charges. 

He admitted having both a hammer and a knife on Parkhouse Drive on April 2 earlier this year.

The court heard how two witnesses were parked outside a block of flats on the street at around 5.30pm. 

They saw McLachlan approaching their car, and when he stopped outside the passenger door, they could see he was holding a knife and a hammer. 

He remarked "no yous" and continued looking in windows of the block of flats. The witnesses called the police and officers seized the items and arrested McLachlan, where he said "I'm guilty". 

His lawyer Brian Holliman told the court that his client had resided on the street for the past three years in local authority tenancy. 

He explained that the incident was the culmination of an 18-month neighbour dispute over noise and verbal abuse that had become increasingly intense. 

Holliman said that McLachlan had been abused earlier in the day and wanted to confront his neighbour, but that he had no intention of using the items. 

Sheriff George Jamieson sentenced McLachlan to six months in prison, backdated to April 3 to take into account his time on remand.