A woman who started a fire and then sent a picture of it with the words: “It’s quite pretty!” has been sent to prison.

Mother-of-two Allison Mutton had been accused of deliberately starting the blaze at her home in Querns Road, Canterbury in July last year in anger.

But a jury at Canterbury Crown Court cleared the 43-year-old of starting the fire being reckless to the danger caused to her neighbours, including a mother and her two-year-old child.

The court heard how Mutton had been angry and wanted her boyfriend’s brother Daniel Roberts to leave her property where he was staying.

She admitted setting alight a photograph of Mr Roberts and sending him texts saying: “The house is on fire..the sad thing was I wasn’t p*ssed”

The jury heard how she also sent Mr Roberts a photograph of the fire, who responded: “WTF Why you done that? Put it out”.

She then a photograph of the fire with the words: "It's quite pretty!"

Judge Heather Norton said that Mutton had waited nine minutes before alerting the authorities and although no-one was hurt £40,000 worth of damage was caused to her council flat.

She jailed her for 20 months after Mutton, who doctors revealed acted impulsively under stress, had admitted arson.

The court heard Mutton had attended a barbecue at the home of a near neighbour on July 9 last year and arrived with a bottle of Rum.

“There’s a fire. Please help me" - Mutton to neighbours after starting the blaze

She was heard complaining about “Dan” saying he had been staying with her and her boyfriend for a long time and was “taking the p***” and when she returned home she was going to “kick Dan out”.

At 2.18am the following morning Mutton telephoned her neighbour sobbing and being hysterical saying her house was on fire.

The neighbour ran out and saw flames coming from Mutton’s home and another neighbour saw Mutton standing on the pavement saying: “There’s a fire. Please help me.”

Since the incident Mutton has been staying in a hostel and with friends in Pine Tree Avenue, Canterbury.

She had claimed she had set alight to Mr Roberts’ T shirt which she claimed to have put out before setting fire to a photograph but claiming she had tried to extinguish the flames with a bottle of fizzy water.

The judge told her she had made “none or very little effort” to put out the fire and had then waited nine minutes before making the 999 call..during which she exchanged texts.

The court heard that the neighbour and her child – who lived next door - were traumatised by the incident.