A mum-of-five involved in a fight with weapons in the street has been spared immediate jail.

Keeley Thompson was armed with a hammer when she hit a woman – who herself was armed with a knife – and they tussled, Bristol Crown Court heard.

After people intervened and police separated them, Thompson told police the woman was a "horrible b***h" and she deserved it.

Thompson, 37, of Ashcombe Road in Weston-super-Mare, pleaded guilty to assault and possessing an offensive weapon in January.

The court heard she was in breach of a suspended sentence for assaulting her step-father.

The woman she was fighting is yet to be dealt with by the court.

Judge William Hart handed Thompson a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, with drug rehabilitation.

He told her: "When you met you were keen to have a go at her and it turned into a physical attack.

"She had a knife.

"You had a hammer in your bag.

"You tried to hit her with it and you were unsuccessful.

"It must have been a very unseemly incident to witness."

Neil Treharne, prosecuting, said the women were in Regent Street, Weston-super-Mare, at 12.20am on January 17.

He said Thompson punched the woman and was trying to hit her with a hammer, without success.

People separated them and police were called, the court heard. A hammer and knife were retrieved from the scene.

She said she couldn't wait to punch the woman

Thompson told police the woman had assaulted her two weeks earlier, and had threatened her partner the day before.

She said she couldn't wait to punch the woman, as she deserved it, but added she was disappointed in herself and had the hammer just to scare.

Emily Heggadon, defending, said her client had a troubled background, having been a heroin user since the age of 14.

But she said Thompson had not used heroin or crack cocaine for a fortnight.

She told the court: "She is nearly 40.

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"She wants a nice job, a normal life and somewhere to live."