A MAN was so drunk he could not remember starting a fire which led to two families being evacuated.

William Ackers, aged 20, stacked garden furniture at the back of a house, poured over engine oil, and set it alight.

Luckily the blaze was extinguished by firemen just minutes before it caught hold. Plastic guttering and roof felt were melting when firemen arrived.

Ackers, of Thetford Close, Hindley, appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence on Friday.

He admitted causing arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered at Higher Ince on February 17 this year.

The court heard that Ackers had saved police and court time by pleading guilty to something he had no memory of and to which there was no forensic evidence. Judge William Morris sentenced him to two years custody at a Young Offenders' Institution.