A TEENAGER who set fire to a cottage in Wroughton was “too enamoured with the dramatic effect of an aerosol and lighter”, his lawyer said.

The Swindon boy, now 17 but 15 years old at the time, yesterday admitted starting the fire that gutted Grade II listed Brook House in The Pitchens last March.

Appearing before Swindon Crown Court, the teenager, who cannot be identified as he is under 18, pleaded guilty to a single count of arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Barrister Jason Coulter, appearing for the youngster, asked the judge to order a pre-sentence report from Swindon Borough Council’s youth offending team.

He said of his client: “This is a 15-year-old lad far too enamoured with the rather dramatic pyrotechnic effect of an aerosol can and lighter.”

The boy had since learned his lesson, Mr Coulter added.

He said: “I ask your honour to bear in mind his age, the fact it was not deliberate ignition, the fact that his good character before and since the offence speaks volumes for the young man that he is.

“I would certainly be confident, as I think would his father, that the lessons leaned from this particular hugely unfortunate incident will stay with him for the rest of his life.”

Bailing the youth to return to Swindon Crown Court on December 7 for sentence, Judge Peter Crabtree said: “This is a serious offence as you will appreciate and as you pleaded guilty to it you will get credit from me for that. But the starting point is custody.”

At the height of the incident, which started after 7.30pm on March 29, around 70 firefighters from Wiltshire and three neighbouring counties were involved in tackling the blaze.

On the night it happened, Station Manager Dave Geddes of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the effort involved in fighting the flames had been considerable.

He told the Adver: “Quite often thatch fires start internally. You’ve got internal firefighting, plus trying to put out the fire on the roof at the same time. They’re such complex fires you’re also trying to make sure they don’t spread any further.”

The fire did an estimated £500,000 worth of damage to the house. The crown court heard on Tuesday that the owner had not moved back into the 19th century cottage.