A fire raiser has been jailed after he torched two classic cars in the centre of Honiton.

Alan Burstow set light to an Austin A 40 which was parked on the forecourt of the HiQ garage in King Street and the blaze spread to a cherished Mazda MX 5 which was parked next to it.

He was filmed on the CCTV from a nearby pub walking around the forecourt with a small dog and a wheelie bag before he broke into the Austin.

Police identified him through the footage but he was given bail and went on to burn out a nurse’s Peugeot 207 car in the Sainsbury car park in Ottery St Mary two months later.

He set light to both vehicles because he had broken into them and wanted to destroy fingerprint or DNA evidence that would identify him. He is on the police database because he has 136 previous convictions, mostly for petty theft.

Burstow, of Church View, Ottery St Mary, admitted three counts of arson and one of theft and was jailed for 20 months by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him he was a potential risk to the public. He said: “If, when intoxicated, you will set fires to cover your tracks after relatively minor vehicle theft offences, then there is a danger that you may pose a significant risk to the public.”

Mr Sam Wysocki, prosecuting, said Burstow set light to the Austin at 3.44 am on March 29 and was seen on CCTV walking away with his dog as the blaze engulfed it and spread to the Mazda.

He had broken into the Austin and then used a rag he found inside to start a fire with his lighter, trying again when his first attempt failed. The Austin was worth £4,000 and the Mazda £6,000.

He was on bail with an overnight curfew when he broke into two cars parked overnight at Sainsbury in Ottery St Mary in the early hours of May 25. He stole a puncture repair kit from one and trainers and a lanyard from the other.

The Peugeot was owned by an NHS nurse whose colleagues raised money to help her get a replacement so she could carry on working.

He later told a psychiatrist he burned out the Peugeot because he cut his hand as he broke the window and wanted to destroy the DNA evidence.

Miss Rachel Smith, defending, said Burstow was using crack cocaine and had become paranoid after a recurrence of mental illness. He had been out of trouble for six years while living a more stable life at his council house in Ottery St Mary.

She said he has got off drugs while in custody and a plan in place to enable him to return home with support for his mental health needs if his is released soon.

She said he started the fire in Honiton after being stranded in Honiton in the early hours in the rain and with nowhere to stay. He tried to steal the Austin and set light to a rag when he failed.