A man has been jailed for three years after he barricaded himself inside a room and started a fire in Basingstoke.

Samuel Rolfe, 24, of May Place, Basingstoke, set fire to pieces of cardboard at the address on May Place on Monday 18 November last year.

The emergency services were called and the fire service extinguished the blaze. No one was injured during the incident.

Officers attended the scene and arrested Rolfe. He was later charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

He pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to three years in prison at Winchester Crown Court on Monday 17 March.

The court heard that the fire caused more than £4,000 worth of damage.

Detective Constable Natalie Gardner, from CID North, said: “This was a shocking incident in the centre of Basingstoke and the result could have been a lot worse.

“Thankfully the fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured as a result of Samuel Rolfe’s reckless actions.

“He was arrested at the scene and later charged with a serious offence. He will now spend a considerable amount of time behind bars for what he did that night.

“I hope this result reassures the local community that we will continue to take action and put offenders before the courts.”