TWO men who set fire to a house in Clayton-le-Moors in a bid to claim off the insurance have been jailed for four years each.

Ryan Ibbitson, 23, and Samuel Todd, 27, doused the house in petrol and turned on all the gas rings before setting fire to the ground floor in April 2014.

As the pair fled the property, a huge explosion blew out the windows and shook neighbouring properties.

One man, who lived at the end house of the block of four, was hit by a falling mirror before having to help his grandparents leave the house for their safety.

Fire crews were called to the property in Cumberland Avenue in the early hours of April 14 and spent four hours tackling the blaze.

No-one was inside, but footprints led to nearby woodland and a man’s shoe was found stuck in the mud.

When Todd, of Spencer Street, Accrington, and Ibbitson, of Colthurst Drive, Clitheroe, were arrested, they smelled heavily of petrol but denied being involved in the blaze.

They were convicted of arson being reckless whether life was endangered following a trial at Burnley Crown Court.

Todd admitted conspiracy to commit fraud by making a false insurance claim and Ibbitson was also found guilty of the same charge. They were also convicted of cultivating £5,000 of cannabis, which had been removed from the property the week before the blaze and was found in a shed at Ibbitson’s home in Clitheroe.

In a victim personal statement, Karen Barker, who lived at the house with her partner and 16-year-old foster daughter, said she had lost sentimental items during the blaze, including a cot and Christmas decorations made by foster children in her care.

She and her family were housed in temporary accommodation and her foster daughter, who has autism, had to live with another family member.

She said she thought the house would be their forever home and would never have imagined what had happened.

The house had a rebuild cost of £158,683 and the family spent £3,000 replacing damaged items. However Mrs Barker said they may never know the true value of everything they lost.

Sentencing the pair at Preston Crown Court, Judge Jonathan Gibson said: “The facts of this case are an object lesson of just how dangerous the ignition of petrol in a confined space can be.”