A woman reduced to sleeping in her car by her noisy neighbours has told of her three “months of turmoil”.

Joy Panteli spent months suffering from the incessant noise of her student neighbours in Bevendean Crescent, Brighton.

She said the sound of them banging doors, playing loud music, singing and stamping kept her awake all night every night.

Mature student Mrs Panteli said she was driven to such despair she was left with no choice but to sleep in her car.

Brighton University undergraduates Jamie Keens, 19, Alex Allen, 19, Domenico Salzia, 18, Tanya Jones, 18, and Adam Tulley, 19, were this week fined by Brighton Magistrates’ Court after admitting breaching a council order telling them to keep the noise down.

Mrs Panteli said: “It’s been a misery. I’m so behind with my work and worried I could fail my exams because of it.

“I couldn’t even drive because I was so sleep deprived.

“I have been really upset about the whole thing.

“Some nights I was so worried about what they might do I was patrolling the house until 6am. I tried sleeping on the bathroom just to try and get some sleep.

“That wasn’t very good and was killing my back. Then I went and made a bed up in the car.”