A CRAVEN Arms farm-worker deliberately started a fire forcing a man in a nearby caravan to climb out of a window to escape the blaze, a court heard.

Martin Haddigan used an aerosol and a lighter to set fire to a bed inside a caravan adjacent to one that was occupied.

Harry Hanson managed to get out through a window after being beaten back by the flames as he opened his caravan door.

The two men were said to have argued earlier in the day and 28-year-old Haddigan later told police he did not like Mr Hanson whom he described as a “bully”.

Three caravans were completely destroyed in the attack at Halford Farm in Craven Arms causing an estimated £15,000 damage.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court last week, Haddigan was given an eight-year extended sentence - five years immediate custody and an extended three-year licence period.

Recorder Martin Jackson told the defendant that he posed a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public in the future.

"You clearly made a conscious decision to go and start a fire inside one of the caravans late at night.

“I am satisfied this was an offence motivated entirely out of revenge or malice," he said.

Haddigan, who worked at a poultry farm, of Onnybrook Drive, Craven Arms, had admitted a charge of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

The court heard the fire was started at about midnight on June 24 last year and Mr Hanson was the only occupant.

Miss Rebecca Wade, prosecuting, said the pair had been in a group drinking earlier in the day and had got into a disagreement about some beer that had gone missing and some threats were made.

“At about midnight, Mr Hanson had gone back to the farm and was awoken and began coughing and saw thick black smoke and flames," she said.

Miss Wade said he was forced to climb through a small window wearing only his boxer shorts and went to his mother’s address.

Miss Wade said Haddigan admitted starting the fire and told police he did it because he didn’t like Mr Hanson and described him as a bully.

Mr Stephen Scully, for Haddigan, said a psychiatric report had highlighted mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol and drug use.

He said his client was under the influence of “most certainly alcohol and quite possibly, one or two drugs” when he started the blaze.