A bungling arsonist set fire to his own flat while trying to take revenge on his downstairs neighbour, a court heard.

Lee Nightingale is now beginning a jail sentence of almost three years after what his lawyer described as his “pathetic attempt” at arson.

Nightingale wanted to destroy the flat below after rows with his neighbour, but started a fire under his own floorboards, causing damage totalling £16,000, including some of his own property.

Ian Dear, defending, said:" Fire goes up, not down. There are few arsonists who would break through their own flat and make such a pathetic attempt."

Nightingale, of Maidstone Road, Rochester, admitted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was jailed for two years and eight months.

His intended victim was journalist Tony Berry, who lived in the flat below as owner-occupier.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Nightingale was living with his girlfriend in a first-floor flat in Foord Street, Rochester.

Prosecutor Trevor Wright said there had been disagreements with the downstairs resident over noise and a dog, resulting in the landlord asking the couple to rehouse their puppy.

On October 12 last year, the fire brigade as called to the mid-terrace building to find a blaze had been started in the communal hallway, and another in a hole of the ceiling of the ground floor flat.

Passing sentence, Judge Jeremy Carey told Nightingale his actions were "illogical and extreme."

After Nightingale was sentenced, Mr Berry said: “The judge gave him credit for quickly making a full and frank confession, but the court wasn’t told Nightingale only did that after I was arrested and spent 17 hours in a police cell, even though I was more than 100 miles away in Wiltshire when the fire happened.

“He was such a useless arsonist, he did more damage to his own flat than mine – and that made me appear to be the prime suspect.

“He was the neighbour from hell and he made my life a misery. He stole my mail, he left bags of dogs’ mess outside the front door, he threatened me with violence and finally he tried to burn the house down.”