A nurse told an African colleague to "go back to the jungle" in an argument about a penthouse flat, a disciplinary hearing was told.

Maureen Sirett, 50, hurled the insult at Erendia Bothma after weeks of disagreement over the ownership of the suite, it was claimed.

The two women shared the property at a nursing home where they worked but had a 'personality clash' as Mrs Bothma allegedly tried to get it all to herself.

She made a series of complaints to bosses of the nursing home about Mrs Sirett's behaviour.

The UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting heard how the falling-out culminated in a row in front of a patient, during which Mrs Bothma told Mrs Sirett: "You have got a week and you're out."

Mrs Sirett replied by telling her to "go back to the jungle where you came from". Later Mrs Sirett was sacked from the home in Bognor for sloppy drug administration procedures.

And she was given an official caution by the UKCC after being found guilty of three charges of misconduct.

The committee heard the bust-up happened after Mrs Bothma joined the Royal Bay Nursing Home in 1999 and was moved into the staff suite occupied by Mrs Sirett.

William Struthers, defending Mrs Sirett, said: "Mrs Bothma had it in for Mrs Sirett. Maybe she wanted full occupation of the penthouse suite. When she told Mrs Sirett she had a week left, Mrs Sirett felt threatened."

Helen Kitchen, for the UKCC, said the final straw came in November 1999 when Mrs Bothma went to attend to a patient in her room. When she arrived, off-duty Mrs Sirett was already there and Mrs Bothma allegedly told her to get out.

Mrs Sirett told the hearing: "I snapped. She ordered me to my room and I told her this was not a prison.

"I was told, 'You have only got a week and you are out'. I said, 'Go back to the jungle,' and turned round and went out. It was just something that came into my head on the spur of the moment."

The hearing was told Mrs Sirett apologised by letter to Mrs Bothma.

But she was yesterday found guilty of misconduct after she admitted making the remark in front of a patient.

The committee was also told Mrs Sirett slipped up when administering drugs at the home.

On one occasion in July 1999 she gave a patient diamorphine via an 'intramuscular' route even though she had not been instructed to do so.

She also borrowed temazepam capsules from a dead patient to give to another and failed to enter details in the paperwork.

Mrs Sirett was cleared of two charges of misconduct for the use of other patients' medicine. She was found guilty of three other misconduct charges over the intramuscular administration, failing to safeguard patients and the outbursts directed at Mrs Bothma.