A DRUNK mum from Barrow who bit her friend's breast during a fight has avoided going to jail.

Carol Shaw, 39, of Urswick Green, Barrow, pleaded guilty to assaulting Linda Treen on July 7 at Furness Magistrates' Court.

She was given a prison sentence of 120 days, suspended for 18 months. She was also ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work and to pay £500 compensation to the victim.

Lee Dacre, prosecuting, said that on June 20, police received a 999 call from Peter Waddington who stated that his girlfriend, Miss Treen, was being assaulted by Shaw.

The defendant was very drunk, according to Miss Treen, and when she tried to calm Miss Shaw down, the pair ended up fighting on the floor.

The victim suffered a bite mark to her left breast as a result of the fight.

Karen Templeton, defending, said: "Miss Shaw wishes to apologise to the court, there is no excuse for what happened. She cannot remember most of it due to the amount of alcohol that was consumed.

"She has been binge drinking to cope with her emotions recently and that is why she had been getting into trouble. It has got to the stage where her family have concerns about her drinking."

Presiding magistrate, Stephen Baker, said: "This is a very nasty attack on a friend that was alcohol-fuelled and only six months after you finished your last suspended sentence for a similar incident.

"We have taken into account the early guilty plea and the fact that you have shown genuine remorse."

Miss Shaw is undergoing treatment for her heavy alcohol consumption through Unity.