A tenant who started a fire in his bedroom which narrowly avoided spreading to neighbouring houses and putting other people’s lives at risk has been jailed.

Joshua Allen, of New Road, Woodston, Peterborough, started the fire on March 12.

His friend raised the alarm after Allen called her and firefighters were sent to the house at just after 6.30pm.

When police got to the scene Allen, 32, was with firefighters and had managed to leave the house unharmed.

He claimed he wanted to hurt himself and while being handcuffed by an officer for his own safety, he flipped forward and knocked the officer to the ground.

She hit her head in the fall but was not seriously injured.

Allen was taken to hospital as a precaution but was later arrested and remanded in custody.

An investigation the following day revealed the fire was started on a mattress.

It had been prevented from spreading because the bedroom window was open but, had it not been, it would have spread along the roof and into neighbouring terraced houses.

One of the neighbours, who was elderly and deaf, had not heard the commotion and was described as “at significant risk of danger” if the fire had escalated.

In police interview Allen admitted causing the fire and subsequent damage, but claimed he didn’t mean to hurt anyone other than himself and said he was suffering from depression.

He was charged with assaulting an officer and arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered.

Allen admitted the charges and was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday July 26 where he was handed two years in prison.

Sergeant Lauren Clark said: “Although Allen claimed he only wanted to harm himself, his actions were selfish and dangerous.

“Thanks to his friend calling us and the quick response of our colleagues at the fire service, the fire was under control quickly before it had the chance to spread. I am thankful nobody was hurt but it could have been a very different story.”