Shocking moment middle-aged women hold up traffic by fighting on the road after one was blocked by the other from overtaking on a 50km/h stretch

This is the shocking moment two women stopped traffic as they came to blows in an ugly roadside brawl.

The fight started when Anne Heritage overtook Sarah Hammond's Volkswagen Beetle on a 30mph road in Bournemouth.

As the 65-year-old tried to pull away, Hammond, 45, deliberately accelerated to prevent her from doing so.

Heritage eventually managed to maneuver her Kia in front of the Beetle, but when both cars stopped at the traffic lights, Hammond got out to protest.

She shouted profanities at Heritage before kicking the driver's side door several times. Heritage got out and the two women fought on the ground as other drivers watched.

Heritage claimed she was the victim and lashed out to defend herself after Hammond punched her in the head and pulled out a strand of her hair.

But video taken by a bystander on his cell phone shows Hammond being held down in the road by an 80-year-old male passenger in the Kia as Heritage kicked her three times.

When Heritage tries to get back into her car, Hammond opens her door and kicks her.

Heritage then gets out of her car and confronts Hammond, who walks back towards her cream-colored Beetle.

The clip ends with Heritage getting back into her car and driving away from the altercation in her silver Kia.

Hammond had her 12-year-old son in the car with her at the time.

Police decided to charge both women over the incident and the pair came face to face again when they appeared at Poole Magistrates' Court.

Hammond, from Poole, accepted her part in the road rage and agreed to be bound for 12 months to keep the peace.

Heritage denied an assault charge but was found guilty after a half-day trial. Her passenger, Roy Franklin, was not charged.

Paul Legg, representing Hammond, told magistrates: “This is quite an unusual case where two people have been charged. Both said there is a victim and an aggressor and that the Crown did not take sides and charged both parties.

'Sarah Hammond has always accepted that she once kicked out while Mrs Heritage was in her car. But there has never been evidence from anyone other than Anne Heritage that Mrs Hammond punched her.

'She approached the car because she found her driving unacceptable. She had her 12-year-old son in the car and was concerned and wanted to talk to her, but always denied hitting her.

'There was a confrontation and Ms Hammond says she was then attacked. She kicked out once because she was upset and frustrated. She accepts that her actions were contrary to the peace.”

The court heard the incident happened on Castle Lane West in Bournemouth at 1pm on March 25 last year.

Siobhan Oxley, prosecuting, said Hammond had been driving slowly when Heritage overtook her in the silver Kia rental car and then tried to drive back into the lane in front of her.

Hammond then allegedly accelerated to avoid getting back on track, but Heritage got ahead of her.

Heritage told the court the driving incident “wasn't a big deal” and she had no idea why Hammond reacted the way she did.

She said: 'I had to stand in front of her which seemed to enrage her. I noticed her following me. I stopped at the traffic lights and someone ran up to my car and started kicking the door.”

Heritage said that because it was a rental car, she couldn't figure out how to lock it and she didn't want Hammond to throw the car away and lose her deposit, so she got out to talk to her.

She claimed Hammond then punched her on the side of the head three times with a closed fist.

She added: “I thought I was going to fall. I knew I wouldn't be able to defend myself and said 'Roy, help me, help me'. She grabbed my hair and ripped it out, I now have about 25 percent hair loss.

'I tried to put my hands on her hands to stop her but I couldn't and she kicked me. Roy came by and pulled her to the ground.

'I tried to kick at her, but I couldn't really get in touch with her. I kicked out three or four times, but none of the kicks hit her.”

Eyewitness Jason Dudley had just left a shop when he heard a woman shout 'it's a 30 limit' and walked to the edge of the road to see what was going on.

He said: “The two women began arguing and subsequently had a physical altercation. I was probably about 20 yards away, it all happened quite quickly, I didn't see who hit who first.

'When the man got involved and the woman was on the ground, I thought it was important to start filming. The gentleman and the lady kicked her and I thought that was unfair. She was being held.”

Heritage called the police shortly afterward, saying, “I was attacked and all my hair was pulled out by this bloody woman… She just went crazy.”

The magistrates accepted that Heritage had attempted to defend himself but found 'the force was excessive'.

When found guilty by the presiding magistrate, Darren Howe, he told her: 'Whoever was wrong, without any damage to a vehicle or injury, it is best to just let them go.'

“Kicking or attempting to kick the victim while she was held on the ground was not necessary to defend herself.”

Heritage, of Bridgwater, Somerset, was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £26 and £500 towards costs.