A CHORLEY man could have caused "carnage" when he set fire to his ex-girlfriend's home after he moved out following a row, a court heard.

Stuart Reeve, 25, broke into the house while Kerry Fairhurst and her daughter were out and set fire to a chair, lit a ring on the hob and put a tea towel on it. He also turned on the oven and other rings.

He had dismantled the two fire alarms, but a neighbour spotted a blaze had been started and called the fire service, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Officers found that if the fire had not been discovered so soon there would have been an explosion that would have put the adjoining houses at risk.

Reeve, of Wood Lane, Heskin, denied arson, being reckless whether life was endangered, but shortly after the evidence began he changed his plea and was found guilty by the jury on his own admission.

Reeve was remanded in custody until September 28 to enable psychiatric and pre-sentence reports to be prepared.

Judge Denis Clark warned him: "What you did was savage and it could have caused carnage to a lot of innocent people.

"It was a moment of madness, but involved some preparation. You must now prepare yourself for a substantial period of imprisonment."

Miss Beverley Lunt, prosecuting, said that Reeve and Miss Fairhurst had been together for two years and shared her home in Wigan.

She told him to leave on February 1 after a row when she said he had assaulted her and during the next five days he repeatedly rang and texted her.

About 9pm on February 6, a neighbour saw him knocking on Miss Fairhurst's home. More than two hours later the neighbour discovered the fire.

Reeve rang Miss Fairhurst's sister's and asked if the house was burnt down and said he hoped Kerry's daughter had been burnt to a crisp.

He said he had started the fire and when he rang again a police officer listened in and Reeve said he had made sure no one was in the house.