A mum-of-three drove her neighbours to despair with noisy sex sessions, a court heard yesterday.

Tara Campbell's moans of pleasure were so loud they kept neighbour Joan McLaughlin awake at night.

Miss Campbell tried to claim the sound was actually her son crying out in pain after he hurt his arm.

But Mrs McLaughlin told the court: "I know that sound when I hear it."

Miss Campbell and her young family are facing eviction from their home in North Shields, North Tyneside.

Yesterday, North Tyneside Council began proceedings at Newcastle County Court to have them kicked out.

The court heard the long-suffering McLaughlins had been under siege from pounding music, slamming doors, and youngsters charging around outside the family's council semi.

But music was not the only thing keeping them awake, it was claimed.

Mrs McLaughlin told the court how she could hear Campbell's bed "creaking and creaking" through the adjoining wall.

And, in a nuisance diary she kept to log complaints for North Tyneside Council, Mrs McLaughlin said the sound of Campbell having sex was another on-going disruption.

"People can have sex any time they like and, as long as I can't hear it, I don't care," she told the court.

"I don't expect to be woken up by it in the middle of the night and kept awake.

"I'm conscious there are children there and children in my house as well. I think it is quite normal to not want to hear your neighbours having sex."

James Richardson, representing 30-year-old Campbell - who is fighting the council's bid to evict her - claimed the mum-of-three had not had a sexual relationship for a long period of time.

He said Mrs McLaughlin was "misinterpreting or distorting" the noise and claimed she may actually have heard Campbell's son moaning in pain after an operation.

The council took action to evict Campbell after receiving a catalogue of more than 200 complaints, including noise, fighting, swearing and discarded rubbish.

But Miss Campbell, who moved into the house in July 2000, claimed she has been a good neighbour.

She said there has hardly been any late night noise from her house, that the allegations had been made up to have her thrown out, and that other residents in the street would be ready to speak up on her behalf.

The hearing continues.