Drunken twins sparked terror after dousing themselves in petrol and trying to blow up an Esso garage.

Brittany and Bethany Lee attempted to ignite a lighter during a stand-off with police after soaking themselves at the pumps in Sturry Road, Canterbury.

But after the flame failed to discharge the 23-year-olds fled the garage and were arrested.

They appeared in the dock at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, where details of the frightening ordeal on April 10 were laid out.

“Officers were made aware of Bethany and Brittany being at Lakeside petrol station in Canterbury,” prosecutor Vishal Misra explained.

“They stated [in a phone call to police] they planned on killing themselves and blowing the petrol station up.

“Bethany Lee said she was seeking to set herself on fire and also the Esso petrol station.”

Mr Misra said when officers descended on the garage about 20 minutes later the twins “threatened to set themselves alight if police came closer".

“Bethany was seen with a lighter, trying to discharge the lighter," he added.

CCTV footage played in court showed the pair pouring petrol over themselves from three different pumps for about five minutes, at about 3am.

But staff deactivated the system so only residual fuel flowed from the nozzles, the court heard.

When officers arrested the pair nearby following a brief chase they noted the “strong smell of fuel”, bodycam footage played in court revealed.

It also showed the twins intoxicated and being verbally volatile towards officers.

In court, the pair refused to watch the screen as the video was played, with Brittany requesting to leave the hearing.

The court heard Brittany has 26 convictions for 54 offences and Bethany 14 convictions for 26 offences.

They are for relatively minor crimes, including being drunk and disorderly and matters concerning the railway.

Alluding to psychiatric reports, Judge Mark Weekes told the twins their behaviour was “in large part a desire to seek attention”.

“You ran the risk of killing yourselves, of killing the other sister, or maiming yourselves, or the other sister, or those in the filling station," he said.

“It must have been a very frightening time for all concerned.”

Brittany and Bethany, who both appeared in court on Thursday with significant cuts and bruises on their faces, pleaded guilty to attempted arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

Psychiatrists ruled both twins “do not have psychiatric issues linked to their behaviour,” the court heard.

But Bethany, of Tyler Hill in Blean, and Brittany, of Hudson Road, Canterbury, have battled emotional instability disorder from a young age and self-harmed together, with their behaviour recently escalating, their lawyers explained.

Phil Rowley, mitigating for Bethany, said she has had a “troubling and challenging early life” and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity.

Charlotte Oliver, mitigating for Brittany, echoed Mr Rowley’s points, adding the twins have formed “a destructive alliance.”

The pair were jailed at Canterbury Crown Court for three years and nine months each.