A "DANGEROUS" Stourbridge arsonist who set fire to his home because he was upset about the path his life was taking has been jailed for over four years.

It was the second time that Kenneth Birch had started a fire at his home in the area having been jailed by a judge for 28 months in 2011.

Recorder Geoffrey Kelly said it was clear the 36-year-old posed a significant risk of causing further harm to members of the public.

And he ruled that Birch's licence on his release from custody should be increased by four years to "ensure the danger to the public was kept to a minimum".

Birch started the second fire at his council flat in Stepping Stones, Stourbridge, after pushing a toilet roll through his letter box which was then set alight.

The fire brigade were quickly on the scene and Birch was rescued from the ground floor property by being pulled through a window.

He had dialled 999 himself after telling officers he had no idea how the blaze started but investigators found the remains of the toilet roll matched others found inside the flat.

The fire caused £10,000 worth of damage to the flat which belonged the Dudley Council with a couple in the above property at the time fortunately able to get out without suffering any injury.

Birch admitted arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered and the Recorder said the crime happened at a time when he was "drunk and upset".

He told Birch: "This was clearly a fire that was out of control and the swift attendance of the emergency services stopped it from spreading."

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told Birch admitted a similar offence in 2011 when he started a fire at his then home in Ladywood Close, Quarry Bank.

Stefan Kolodynski, defending Birch, who was jailed for 50 months, said "thankfully" no-one had been placed in dire danger by the fire in Stepping Stones.

Birch, he went on, had been suffering distress at the time having lost his job and there had also been a deterioration in his relationship with his partner.

Mr Kolodynski said: "There were a significant number of factors in his life at the time and it all got too much for him."

The Recorder said Birch was unhappy because he was disappointed with the way his life was going but there was no doubting the fact he posed a danger to the public.