A man set light to the roof of a shed in the garden of his former partner’s house after spending a night out drinking.

Stephen Lawford torched the outbuilding on the way home from the pub shortly after he lost his job and the relationship broke down.

And the 28-year-old has been warned he could face the prospect of a jail term for the incident which took place a year ago.

Lawford, of Athelstan Road, Malmesbury, pleaded guilty to a charge of arson when he appeared before Swindon crown court.

He admitted damaging a garden shed belonging to Caroline Warn on Friday October 2 last year.

Jason Taylor, defending, asked the court to consider passing sentence on his client without a report from the probation service.

He said “This, as you will know, is the roof of a garden shed, without wanting to minimise it.

“About a month before this occurred this defendant lost his job and his relationship at the same time ended. It was along term relationship.

“They had been living together in the home where the garden shed stood for two-and-a-half years.

“He had been drinking to excess and did a stupid thing on the way home. It was foolish behaviour while drunk.”

He said his client had been working as a labourer and was currently living with his mum and he was unlikely to commit a similar offence again.

The court heard that although he had two previous convictions for criminal damage neither involved fire and the last was from 2003.

Judge Euan Ambrose said “I think I will need a report in this case. Arson is a serious matter and obviously there is a spectrum from very serious to less serious but it is a serious matter and the court ought to have a pre-sentence report and indeed I don’t know what that report will reveal.

“I think at this stage all options need to remain open.”

He adjourned the case to Tuesday November 23 and released him on bail on condition he does not contact Miss Warn or go to Old Railway Close in Malmesbury.