A former star of the British television soap opera EastEnders was beaten to death and dismembered by her brother after they argued about an overflowing sink, a court was told.

Tony McCluskie, 35, denies murder but has admitted the manslaughter of his sister Gemma, whose headless and limbless torso was found in a London canal last March.

He had left the bathroom taps on at the east London flat they shared and his 29-year-old sister had driven home to tell him this was the "last straw" and he had to move out, London's Old Bailey court heard. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett said McCluskie killed his sister after the argument, cut up her body and dumped it in the Regent's Canal, east London.

The head of the actress, who played Kerry Skinner in 30 episodes of the BBC series in 2001, was not found until September.

McCluskie said he "blanked out" after arguing with his sister and had no recollection of killing her, the jury heard.

But Aylett said McCluskie led police on a "wild goose chase" after killing his sister, reporting her missing and telling detectives she had been seen several times since her disappearance.

Officers found blood in his bathroom and car boot and a bloodstained knife in the kitchen. The trial continues.