A pregnant woman and her husband today spoke of the hell of being harassed for two years by a policeman.

Chris and Sophie Fox, of Westdene in Brighton, were singled out for abuse by PC Alistair Edgar, 54, almost from the moment they moved in next door.

The couple say they were driven to the edge of despair as Edgar and his wife Audrey ran a lawnmower resting against a concrete wall for hours on end, annoying their guests and frightening their children.

The Edgars were due to face trial before Worthing magistrates yesterday for harassing the Foxes.

But the prosecution was halted when the policeman agreed to be bound over for 12 months for a breach of the peace and his wife, 63, accepted a caution.

Edgar, a constable in Brighton with more than 30 years service, is suspended while Sussex Police decides what action to take against him.

Mrs Fox said: "You try to teach your child that a police officer is someone you are meant to respect and trust but our son is very confused because the police officer who lives next door has tried to frighten him."

The Foxes moved to Bramble Rise in Westdene in July 2003 to live "a nice quiet life" with a bigger garden for their children, Fernand, seven, and Tiana, three.

But the abuse began soon after they had introduced themselves to their new neighbours.

Mr Fox, a digital engineer, said: "We got a grunt from Mr Edgar and his wife ignored us so we knew we were on the back foot straight away. Then we got letters from him and his solicitor saying we could not do certain things with the driveway while we were having the lawn replaced out the back.

"They took every available opportunity they could to pester us and when we posted the letters we had got from them back through their letter box they pinned them up in the porch so we could see them."

Mr and Mrs Fox said the abuse got worse when they decided to have their loft converted and Mr Edgar told him he would get an injunction to stop them.

The couple said they spent £600 on solicitors' fees before they could start the work.

Mrs Fox, principal of Rox School of Dance and Drama in Hove, said: "At one point I heard Mrs Edgar say, I wish they had not banned fox hunting so we could shoot them'.

"She would move the children's bikes if they were left up against our garage and put them on top of the bin. She is a very volatile individual who has got no control over herself.

"Mr Edgar would try and intimidate our son, who was only four at the time, by standing in front of him in his police uniform. We moved here for him to have a garden to play in but he's too scared to go out there now."

The exasperated couple set up a camera to record confrontations with the Edgars and collected eight hours of footage, which they gave to the police. The Foxes made allegations about the Edgars' behaviour they said they would have been able to prove if it had gone to trial.

Mr Fox said the only reason they decided not to pursue a trial was Mrs Fox was pregnant and he did not wish to put her through it.

The final straw came when the Edgars began turning on their lawnmower for two hours at a time as it hung against a wall in the garage.

Mrs Fox said: "It sounded like we were living next to Heathrow. All the neighbours could hear it.

"If we went out they would turn it off but two minutes after we got back in it would go on again. The kids have been so frightened they still sleep in our bed."

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "PC Edgar is currently suspended and any internal discipline will be decided following the outcome of the court case."