A Haverfordwest woman painted herself into a corner after a paint party at her council house landed her in the dock last Wednesday.

Dawn Louise Bates, aged 33, of North Court, Haverfordwest, admitted damaging the walls, kitchen, guttering and eight doors at 10 Garfield Gardens, in Narberth, between September 9th and 18th.

The court heard that when an officer attended the property on September 9th, Bates was unrecognisable.

Prosecutor Peter Lloyd said: "She was absolutely, completely covered from head to toe in blue paint like some kind of giant Smurf."

He added: "So covered was she, that the officer couldn't work out who she was. Her face, hair, eyes, neck, arms, legs, were absolutely plastered in paint."

Inside the house, the doors and walls were "awash with paint" and about five litres of paint had been deliberately poured all over the floor, said Mr Lloyd.

He added that when officers returned to Bates' house on September 18th, they found a wooden banister and eight doors smouldering on a fire in her back garden.

Mark Layton, defending, said Bates had removed the doors because they were damaged and not fit for purpose when she moved into the property in 2000. She had also installed a new banister.

He said: "She cannot be guilty of causing damage to her own property."

He added: "The paint was purchased to carry out decorative work, but from time to time, personal difficulties unfortunately get on top of her.

"She was at that stage in life, where she was low about certain personal matters, and she accepts that she didn't apply the paint properly."

The court heard that although Bates had reported the faulty doors on August 27th, she failed to pursue the application with the building maintenance department.

Magistrates adjourned the hearing until January 16th for a full pre-sentence report to be prepared.

Bates was released on conditional bail, to live and sleep at her address.