A rampaging arsonist has been jailed for “mindlessly” torching five cars and almost sending a house up in flames.

Toby Pierce destroyed the five vehicles in quick succession in a Ramsgate suburb, triggering a huge emergency service response.

After the 18-year-old engulfed the vehicle in flames - causing tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage - the inferno swept and lit up the front door of a home.

But firefighters extinguished the string of fires in Claremont Gardens, Chapel Road, and Grange Road, and safeguarded the house.

CCTV cameras filmed the plasterer apprentice lighting number plates to trigger the blazes, which he later denied in court.

Pierce, now 19, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson before trial last year - a more serious charge of reckless arson was asked to lie on file.

Jailing him for two years, Recorder Richard Smith said lives were put at risk, adding: "And it is luck, just luck that nobody was injured.

“You have said an old friend told you [to set the fires], and that he threatened you with a knife - he didn't.

“Most people would have told your old friend to get lost or they might have gone to the police.

“But you say you were frightened and you agreed to what he told you.”

The judge added medical reports showing Pierce suffers ADHD and a low IQ of 50 were “not an excuse for what he did”.

Among the vehicles destroyed were a Renault Clio, Honda Civic, Vauxhall Corsa, Ford Mondeo and Hyundai Active.

They were all attacked at about 5.20am, prosecutors said.

“(The owners) speak of it being mindless, a great inconvenience and causing lasting financial loss to them,” Dickon Reid explained.

Mitigating, James Burke, told the judge doctors recommended a mental health treatment requirement, adding that his client was suitable for a community sentence.

He highlighted Pierce’s learning difficulties and an unsettled childhood, adding it made him more susceptible to suggestion.

Pierce, of Crescent Road, Ramsgate, who has six convictions for 15 offences, remained passive while appearing via video link from HMP Elmley, with two family members in court.

Recorder Smith said the 10 months already spent on remand will be deducted from his sentence.

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