A ROW between two business partners over the electricity bill ended with one of them hitting the other on the head with a hammer.

Blackburn magistrates heard Christopher Michael Egan armed himself with the claw hammer when his partner blocked the door to prevent him leaving.

He thought the other man had fallen and banged his head but forensic examination of the hammer showed that had caused the injury.

Egan, 61, of Unsworth Street, Stacksteads, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ray Francolini causing him actual bodily harm. He was sentenced to eight weeks in custody suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £200 costs, £100 compensation and £115 victim surcharge.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said the two men were business partners in the Curiosity Shop in Bacup.

"It would appear their relationship had deteriorated culminating in this incident," said Miss Allan. "It seems they got into an argument because Mr Francolini had left the heater on in the shop over the weekend."

During the row that followed Egan said their partnership was over and then went behind the counter and came out with a hammer in his hand.

"He hit Mr Francolini on the side of the head and they both ended up grappling on the floor," said Miss Allan. "Mr Francolini was on aspirin because of hear problems and he bled profusely from his wound."

Janet Sime, defending, said the two men had set up the business together but a lot of issues developed. She said Egan was responsible for the electricity bill and he often found that Francolini had left the heater on overnight and the bills were mounting.

"On this morning the fire was on when he went to open up and that lead to an argument," said Miss Sime. "Mr Francolini, who is a big man, was in the doorway preventing my client from leaving. He accepts he picked up a hammer and held it out in front of him in order to get out of the shop. The other man ran towards him and there was a scuffle."

She said there was a mallet on the floor which had blood on it and her client assumed the other man had banged his head on that.

"He pleaded not guilty on that basis but forensics showed blood on the hammer and the wound matched the tool and he changed his plea to guilty," said Miss Sime.