A 'dangerous' man drunkenly set four fires around a town centre in a 50 minute arson spree.
Carl Williamson torched a parked car, started a fire under a staircase leading to a flat, and set rubbish bins alight.
The 34-year-old had been drinking in the Jolly Nailor pub, in Atherton, on the evening of August 16 2020, through to the early hours of August 17.
After leaving the pub at around 3.20am, Williamson made his way down Market Street, before trying and failing to set fire to a bin, prosecution barrister Maria Brannan told Bolton Crown Court.
He then took a wheelie bin from the side of a beauty salon, set it alight, and moved it to the back of a car that was parked close to houses in Hampson Street.
Williamson watched on as flames engulfed the car but fortunately it didn't spread to any of the houses, the court was told.
In a victim impact statement, the owner of the car, David Healy said that the incident had left him feeling "angry, stressed, and violated".
He also said that it had a significant financial impact on him.
Williamson then set fire to some wood in a storage area, which was underneath stairs leading to a flat in Stanley Street.
Ian Murray, watch manager for the local firefighting crew said it could have 'easily spread' to the flat itself, if it hadn't been discovered when it was.
Williamson also set fire to a street bin outside Ladbrokes and another next to jewellery store Rings 'n' Things.
Police found him sat on a bus stop, watching firefighters tackle the fires that he had started.
He was arrested and initially denied committing the crimes, despite CCTV footage showing him.
Williamson, who committed similar offences in 2013, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson - reckless as to whether life is endangered, two counts of simple arson and a count of attempted arson.
Defending, Lucy Wright told the court that Williamson, of Beech Close, Hull, has a number of learning difficulties and "lacks consequential thinking".
She said that he has already spent 11 months on remand and has gained trusted prisoner status, securing a job in a workshop.
Ms Wright added that Williamson has no real explanation for his behaviour, other than being drunk.
Judge Elizabeth Nicholls deemed Williamson to be dangerous and issued him with an extended sentence.
Imposing a total sentence of five-and-a-half years, she said: "The damage you caused that night is not enormous, it probably comes at under £10,000.
"However the impact that those fires had and could have had were very severe."
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