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A midday street battle with a machete and sticks was filmed by a passing motorist on his phone.

Teesside Crown Court heard a number of people were involved in the clash in Shrewsbury Street, Hartlepool, on Friday, October 8 last year, but not all were charged.

Brian Stevenson, 34, who was armed with a machete during the incident, and had previous convictions for affray and possessing a bladed article, was jailed for 16 months.

Messages found on a mobile phone of one of the people fighting suggested there had been a build-up beforehand.

Shrewsbury Street, in Hartlepool where the street fight with weapons took place in the middle of the day.

Footage from the motorist’s mobile phone and local CCTV showed that others were involved who were not charged, said prosecutor Martin Towers.

Martin Scarborough, mitigating for Stevenson, said his client was the most seriously injured ending up with cuts and a bite mark to his chest.

He said that Stevenson had been the victim of a previous assault and he went to the scene that day unarmed.

But he came into possession of the machete which was later recovered along with a walking stick from a nearby house.

Stevenson, of Airdrie Grove, Hartlepool, admitted affray and possession of a bladed article.

He will probably be released soon after serving the equivalent of 14-month prison sentence while being held on remand in Durham.

Judge Peter Armstrong said that it must have been frightening for people on the street at the time and there was a risk of others being injured.

A second man involved, Christopher Bowlt, 30, also of Airdrie Grove, was granted bail until June 9 for pre-sentence reports after he pleaded guilty to affray and possessing an offensive weapon.

Hartlepool man armed himself with machete during midday street battle