A man from Horwich set fire to two vans belonging to people he did not know after drinking a large amount of alcohol.

Andrew Abbott targeted the two vehicles on Longworth Road last month.

One occupant of the street was at home after 10pm on April 22 with his family when a neighbour alerted him to the fact his van was on fire, Bolton Crown Court heard.

He went into the side alley where he had parked it and saw a wing mirror on fire which he attempted to extinguish.

The same evening, another resident of the same street looked out of the window and saw his van was on fire.

He used a hosepipe to extinguish it and firefighters were called.

Abbott was recognised on footage and was arrested four days later on April 26 and made a full confession about what he had done when interviewed by the police.

He said he did not know how he had started the fighters but it was probably done with a lighter and he felt “sick to his stomach” by his actions.

Maria Brannon, prosecuting, read victim impact statements from the two owners of the vehicles.

One said: “This has caused me a great deal of stress.

“I had spent two years doing it up to use as a caravan for holidays.

“As a father of young children we used it to get away and create memories now we can’t do this.”

The other said his daughter had been left terrified they all felt unsafe at home.

Abbott, 36, appeared at court to be sentenced after admitting two counts of arson.

Mark Friend, defending, said he had received news that his father had months to live in the build up to the incidents but said this was “background” and not an “excuse".

He said he was wearing his high visibility jacket from his work as scaffolder at the time and had been caught on camera which showed the fires were not planned.

The Honorary Recorder of Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh, said: “Wanton acts of damage of this sort pass the custody threshold by a significant degree.”

But he said he took into account the guilty plea and the fact Abbott had not been in trouble since 2012.

He suspended a sentence of 12 months for two years.

He ordered Abbott, of Ormston Avenue, Horwich, to do 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days, complete 180 hours of unpaid work and undergo an alcohol absinthe monitoring programme to run for nine days and to pay £400 in compensation to each of the van owners.