A 38-year-old man produced a hammer when he went to hospital to visit his partner and found her ex-boyfriend in attendance.

Blackburn magistrates heard Nigel Lee Hodgson was confronted by the ward sister and ordered to leave.

He walked through Accident and Emergency with the hammer in his hand and was followed on to the car park by security staff.

Hodgson refused to hand the hammer over and threatened to damage his love rival or his Mercedes car with it.

Hodgson, of Rydal Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour.

He was given a three month prison sentence suspended for two years, made subject to community supervision for the same period with a condition he completes the addressing substance related offending programme and made subject to a 7 pm to 7 am curfew order for three months.

Clare Fanning, prosecuting, said sister Victoria Thackery-Scott confronted Hodgson who pulled out the hammer and said: "I'm going to have him."

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said Hodgson had been fitting a bathroom at his partner's home when he got a call to say she had been rushed to hospital.