AN arsonist has been jailed after setting alight to bins, wooden reels, a tree, cardboard and more causing £140k of damage.

Michael Britt, 54, previously of Pevensey Road, Slough was sentenced on Thursday (August 3) at Reading Crown Court to five years and one month in jail for 10 counts of arson and one count of possession of a controlled drug of class B, namely cannabis.

The court heard that Britt had been connected to several incidents of arson, including a fire outside Mr Cod in Farnham Road on April 16 last year.

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Police were alerted at about 3.40am and found two bins alight. They were positioned next to a wooden shed which subsequently caught fire resulting in a large blaze, causing residents of a nearby flat to have to be evacuated.

At around 4.10am on the same day, industrial bins behind Pets at Home in the same road were set alight, as were pallets and other items located between Iceland and B&M Home. This resulted in subsequent damage to the shutters of the shops.

A few days later on April 19 at 2.45am, police received a report from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) about a fire at Lumen Technologies in Edinburgh Avenue.

Various wooden reels containing electric cable had been set alight causing significant damage to the reels and the building itself.

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At around 2.55am on the same day, RBFRS were alerted to a large conifer tree on fire located in the front garden of a property on Aspen Close, causing damage to the tree, the house itself and two vehicles parked nearby.

A few months later on July 29, at about 2.15am, officers received a further report from RBFRS about a fire behind Poundland on Montrose Avenue.

A large quantity of cardboard and plastic had been set alight. Whilst officers were conducting a search of the area, they also came across trees which had been set alight outside Kingswood House on Farnham Road.

This subsequently caused damage to neighbouring internet cables and fencing.

Britt was identified by officers from available CCTV and was arrested the same day.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Lyndsey Shaw said: “Britt’s actions were reckless and dangerous, with the costs associated with the damage caused amounting to a total of £140,000.

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“This case demonstrates that we are relentless in our pursuit of perpetrators of arson and we will continue our ongoing partnership working with Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure fires are put out safely and that offenders are put before the courts.”