A 59-year-old Letchworth woman has admitted a flurry of racist abuse and harassment against neighbours that included shouting, spitting and pushing over their bins.

Susan Blake, of Ashdown, at one point shouted that her neighbours “weren’t wanted where they came from, and they ain’t wanted now”.

She pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment, three counts of failing to comply with a community protection notice, and one of criminal damage when she appeared before magistrates at Hatfield Remand Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that on May 1, while Blake was subject to a community protection notice, she had “spat aggressively at the floor on two occasions, before walking in her front door and shouting the word ‘scum’.”

On May 21, she was said to have spat towards her neighbours’ house before pushing both of their bins over in their garden.

Finally, on June 18, it was alleged that Blake had shouted: “The retard family with the retard kids, they come out where there’s no-one else around.

“They should be in bed. They have woken me up with their whining.

“Why did the council let them move in? They weren’t wanted where they came from and they ain’t wanted now.”

The charge of racial abuse related to an incident on April 3, and the offence of criminal damage referred to when Blake broke a glass-top garden table worth £300 on April 6. Blake admitted all counts.

The bench, chaired by Madeline Marshall, fined Blake a total of £465 and ordered her to pay £300 in compensation for the table and £200 in compensation for the racist abuse on April 3. She must also pay £85 costs and £30 surcharge, making a total bill of £1,080.