A DRUNKEN man attacked a horsebox with a brick after shop staff refused to sell him more booze.

Blackburn magistrates heard Paul John Procter caused £1,500 worth of damage to the vehicle which belonged to a total stranger.

Procter, 44, of Heys Lane, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to damaging the front windscreen, a side window and both wing mirrors of the vehicle. He was made subject to a conditional discharge for two years and ordered to pay £250 compensation.

Tracy Yates, prosecuting, said witnesses saw Procter pick up a brick and throw it through the front windscreen of the horsebox. He then used another brick to smash a side window and knock off the wing mirrors.

Procter admitted to police he had no idea who the horsebox belonged to.

Neil Howard, defending, said the previous day Procter had found some Valium tablets and after taking them collapsed and ended up in hospital.

"After he was discharged he spent the rest of the day drinking with friends," said Mr Howard. "He had gone to a shop to buy more alcohol but had been refused and in anger and frustration he lashed out at the nearest vehicle which just happened to be the horsebox."