A man who started a fire outside his ex-wife's home in a fit of temper has been jailed for 15 months.

Gordon Boyd caused thousands of pounds' damage to the semi-detached house in Brading Road, Brighton.

No one was hurt but neighbours fled in terror after seeing the 15ft flames.

Father-of-three Boyd, 24, of Arlington Crescent, Brighton, admitted arson at Lewes Crown Court yesterday.

Marcus Fletcher, prosecuting, told the court Boyd had recently split from his wife Josephine and had moved out of the family home at the time of the fire in August last year.

The house was empty when he returned at midnight and set light to a pile of unwanted furniture and toys on the patio, causing damage of at least £4,800.

Police on patrol stopped Boyd when they saw him leaving the garden and noticed the fire.

Richard Germain, defending, said Boyd had not been thinking straight. He said: "His whole world had been turned upside down. He had no wife, no children and no home and he sought refuge in alcohol.

"He saw she had thrown out his belongings and, in a flash of temper, set fire to them."

He said Boyd, who worked in a fish and chip shop, bitterly regretted what he had done and felt ashamed.