The Earl of Cardigan has been accused of harassing a former trustee of his 4,500-acre family estate in Savernake, Marlborough, over a broken shower.

It is alleged the 62-year-old, otherwise known as David Brudenell-Bruce, made a number of 'nuisance' phone calls to his ex-trustee John Moore in April 2013, while Mr Moore was at work in a London court.

Mr Moore said the 69 calls over a period of two days stopped him from carrying out his duties as a senior barrister's clerk but on Monday Lord Cardigan appeared before North Wiltshire Magistrates Court in Chippenham to deny these allegations.

Lord Cardigan claims he was penniless and called to ask the trustee if he could get a plumber out to repair the shower at his home in Savernake Lodge, which had been faulty for months, so his wife who was pregnant at the time could wash.

The evidence of the number of calls was disputed but the Earl said Mr Moore, who was his trustee until last year when a High Court removed him, kept putting the phone down on the conversations which altogether lasted in total less than three minutes.

However, while being cross examined, Mr Moore said he had arranged for three plumbers to visit the house and fix the shower issue but the Earl wouldn't let them in and accused them of being a "liar", "perjurer" and "deer murderer".

The court heard that following the alleged calls Mr Moore had visited the Earl's property after a report Lord Cardigan had turned off an electric pump providing water to troughs and another residential property on the estate.

Mr Moore described Lord Cardigan as being "out of control" and like an "animal" and the court saw a short video recording of Mr Moore confronting the Earl, who was allegedly banging slates together near Mr Moore's face.

Speaking on the witness stand Mr Moore said: "I felt it was part of an escalating level of behaviour exhibited by Lord Cardigan which is what he did when he didn't get his own way with things, not just with me but other trustees and third parties."

Defending, Edward Henry dismissed Mr Moore's claims he was intimidated or harassed by the Earl and proposed to the bench it was Mr Moore who was the "bully" and was trying to provoke the Earl by taunting him about being estranged from his two children, one of whom is singer and BBC The Voice finalist Bo Bruce.

He said: "I'm going to suggest to you Mr Moore, it was you who was trying to control Lord Cardigan. May I take it you are not a shrinking violet? You are not a shy or retiring person are you? And you are prepared to confront Lord Cardigan."

However, Mr Moore responded: "I was standing up to Lord Cardigan, I was not cowering because I had to stand up to him. It doesn't mean I wasn't apprehensive about bits of slate going in my eyes."

The court also heard from PC Rich Barratt of Marlborough Neighbourhood Policing Team, who confirmed Lord Cardigan had been issued a harassment information notice in March 2013.

Speaking on the witness stand Lord Cardigan said he had suffered "unspeakable misery" trying to get Mr Moore to release the funds to get his shower fixed. He added: "We didn't have any money, we lived on fresh air.

"I just wanted my wife sitting beside me aching for a shower to have one."

The Earl spoke of how he and his pregnant wife had to go to Marlborough Leisure Centre and use their facilities in order to wash because they did not have to means to pay to repair the shower. Their finances were so dire the Earl had resorted to delivering fish oil for income and at one point was claiming benefits.

The Savernake Estate, which includes Britain's only privately owned forest, has been in the earl's family for almost 1,000 years.

The estate was left in the hands of two trustees, Mr Moore and Wilson Cotton, when Lord Cardigan went to America.

The Earl was also acquitted in January 2013 of assaulting Mr Moore in a previous incident.

The case was adjourned until Wednesday.