A NETFLIX director has claimed he found a dead RAT in his recycling bin during a bitter neighbourly row.

Award-winning director Misha Manson-Smith, 48, said by the time he was able to check the bin at his flat in Dalston, East London, the rodent was "filled with maggots".

Misha Manson-Smith and his journalist wife Alexandra claim their life was made a misery by Mark Arthurworrey, 68, who owned the freehold to their property.

Arthurworrey is said to have allowed water to gush through the ceiling of their ground floor flat and into the smoke alarms, destroying their electronics, jurors heard.

He also allegedly breached a restraining order, imposed in 2017, by banging and scraping on the floor above, disturbing the family, Wood Green Crown Court, sitting in Hendon was told.

Mr Manson-Smith eventually moved out and let out his flat to tenants, it was said.

But Arthurworrey sent Mr Manson-Smith a letter accusing him of blocking access to the shared garden on 2 August 2019, jurors heard.

Music producer Arthurworrey hired builders to fit a gas pipe and a soil pipe to the building on July 7 2020 without consulting Mr Manson-Smith, it was said.

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Mr Manson-Smith, who has made award-winning comedies and documentaries for Amazon and Netflix, then said he found a maggot-riddled dead rat in the recycling bin after returning from a family holiday.

Arthurworrey, who had a successful 25-year career as a music producer, working with acts including Earth, Wind and Fire, Aswad and Annie Lennox, denies 18 counts of acting in breach of a restraining order between 28 May 2018 to 7 July 2020.

Rebecca Foulkes, prosecuting, said: "Mr Arthurworrey was made the subject of a restraining order. That order contained a number of relevant terms.

"Mr Arthurworrey was prohibited from any contact which may make any residents or visitors to the flat feel harassed.

"It is the prosecution's case that the defendant has breached that order on 18 different occasions."

Ms Foulkes said water leaked through the ceiling on multiple occasions during 2019 damaging the electrics in much of the property, the court heard.

He saw one of the builders had placed a dead rat into the recycling bin for their flat.

But Arthurworrey dismissed Mr Manson-Smith's complaints saying they were not his fault.

She said: "He denied that he had caused the leak deliberately, saying that he was not in London at the time.

"He said the Manson-Smith's bedroom was in a former coal cellar and not properly insulated, and the leak had been caused by rain."

Jurors heard when Mr Manson-Smith and his family returned from holiday in the summer of 2018 he viewed CCTV footage and could see building work had been carried out.

"He also saw that one of the builders had placed a dead rat into the recycling bin for their flat."

When the TV director checked the bin the rat was still there and "filled with maggots by then", said Ms Foulkes.

Arthurworrey said he was unaware of the actions of the builder and did not know a dead rat had been put into the recycling.

He is also said to have stopped Mr Manson-Smith from entering the back garden by changing the padlock on the gate, forcing him to disturb his tenants when he needed to work in the back garden, jurors heard.

He denies breaching the restraining order as he was carrying out essential maintenance work at the property.

Arthurworrey denies 18 counts of acting in breach of a restraining order.

The trial continues.

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