A man who set fire to the home of his ex-partner and son has been jailed for six years.

Michael Lane, 32, of Thursland Road, Sidcup, was imprisoned on Friday, February 10 at the Old Bailey having previously pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life.

Lane deliberately set fire to the home of his pregnant ex-partner, aged 29, and ten-year-old child in Riverside Road, Erith, in June last year. Also at home were her parents, including her disabled mother, and brothers.

The family were sleeping but were alerted by a fire alarm and managed to escape unharmed.

Lane had been drinking that evening in Crayford with his brother and two friends, before making his way by bus towards his ex-partner's home. The pair had been in an on-off relationship for a number of years and she was pregnant with their child at the time.

After getting into the home through a back door, Lane set fire to a pile of clothes at the end of an unoccupied bed downstairs - and the fire quickly took hold, gutting the bedroom, a bathroom, the kitchen and hallway.

Detective Constable Katie Castle of Bexley Police said: "This was a particularly nasty crime which occurred after the breakdown of a relationship. The consequences could have been fatal.

"I'm pleased that Lane will no longer be a threat to his ex-partner or her family or to other members of the public. The only consolation that can be taken from this is that by pleading guilty he has spared the family the further ordeal of a trial and hopefully they can now move on with their lives."