A man who deliberately set fire to his bathroom, claiming it was caused by a firework thrown through a window, has been jailed.

Cambs Police said Jason Stringer, 47, called the fire service after starting the fire at his flat in Manton, Bretton, Peterborough, in February.

When firefighters arrived, they found smoke coming from the bathroom window and quickly extinguished the blaze.

“An investigation found the fire had been started deliberately,” a force spokesperson said.

“When questioned by police, Stringer initially made the firework claim but then said it had been caused accidentally by a discarded cigarette.”

Stringer later pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to eight months in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday (20 June).

Detective constable James Walker-Harrison, who investigated, said: “Stringer deliberately started the fire in his own bathroom for reasons we may never understand.

“No one was hurt but he endangered his own life and the lives of the other residents in the building.

“He also showed a complete disregard for the emergency services and the time it took them to deal the situation he caused.

“I am glad justice has been done today and hope Stringer thinks long and hard about what he did and what could have happened, had it not been for the quick response of the fire service.”