A Medway man has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of causing an explosion, likely to endanger life.

Mark Lee Marchant, 28, of Pimpernel Way, Chatham, was sentenced today at Maidstone Crown Court.

Marchant, pictured here, was arrested in August last year after an incident in Yarrow Road, Weedswood, in July.

He had purposely filled an airbed with an accelerant and then set light to it on a fence to cause an explosion.

The act was carried out following a long-running confrontation with a shopkeeper there.

DI Ann Lisseman said: "This sentence is the result of a complex police investigation which has taken place over a number of months. Marchant's actions could have caused serious injury to anyone who may have been nearby at the time.

"He showed a clear intent on causing serious injury and we are fortunate the consequences were not more severe.

"Marchant had been involved in a dispute with a local shopkeeper and this was a desperate attempt to cause harm and intimidate local residents.

"Kent Police has been working alongside our partners at Medway Council to crack down on illegal activity in the Weedswood area of Chatham.

"We are committed to ensuring the residents can feel confident in their local community by effectively tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

"This sentence sends a clear message, that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated by Kent Police or the local community.

"If people continue to carry out acts of criminality in the Weedswood area then we will prosecute them and bring them to justice."