A mum who left her sons at home and went drinking has been branded a "nightmare neighbour from hell".
Demi Heffernan vanished from her home in Bridlington, East Yorks, leaving her two young boys locked in the house for two hours.
The brothers, aged four and six, were discovered walking around the streets after being left alone last year.
They escaped from the house and were "terrified", but fortunately managed to knock on the door of a neighbour, the court heard.
The police were alerted and Heffernan was arrested and taken away in handcuffs.
She was given a 10-month suspended sentence at court in Hull after admitting to child neglect.
In addition to the sentence, Heffernan was told to do 200 hours of unpaid work.
Hull Crown Court heard how her behaviour could have led to her boys being abducted.
Richard Thompson, prosecuting said she had been boozing at a friend's home before leaving to put her boys to bed at 10.30pm.
She then reportedly intended to return but there was still no sign of her at 11.30pm, the court was told.
Her six-year-old son knocked on the neighbour's door, but his younger brother wandered down the street.
Officers were called at 12.30am but the single mum did not come home until 1.15am.
Mr Thompson said: "The children were tired and distressed. They were taken to be cared for by their grandparents."
When approached by The Sun, Heffernan said of the case: "I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve got nothing to say."
Her behaviour was described as "disgusting" by her neighbours, who spoke to reporters.
One nearby resident said: "She is an absolute nightmare neighbour", while another claimed she was a "party animal".
They added: "I think it’s absolutely awful to leave your kids like that. I’ve not seen her with her kids for ages."
In court, Heffernan denied she had been drinking heavily and neglected her kids.
She accused her neighbour of "trying to set her up".
Defence lawyer Michele Stuart-Lofthouse said Heffernan was "remorseful" and described the incident as "the biggest regret of her life".
Judge John Thackray QC told her: "It must have been extremely frightening for them. They were described by police when they attended the scene at about 1am as distressed.
"They were seen in the street. That's the actual harm you caused. What would have happened if there had been a fire?
"What would have happened if a stranger had taken one of your children?"
