A TORQUAY man has described the catalogue of disasters which happened after he threw his cigarette butt into his flower bed and set fire to his fence.

During five minutes of sheer panic he watched the flames lick higher and threaten his newly built summerhouse and neighbouring gardens.

His hapless efforts to douse the fire himself ended with his pet Alsatian biting the garden hose off the kitchen tap and flooding the kitchen.

Fortunately the fire brigade arrived to save the day, and the flames were out before Mike could cause any more damage.

Looking at the sorry spectacle of his fence in Lichfield Avenue, the hotel assistant manager was able to reflect on the folly of his ways.

"My wife is always telling me to use an ashtray," he said. "Next time I will."

Last Tuesday afternoon began well enough for Mike as he sat in his garden soaking up the sun, enjoying a cigarette in his favourite spot.

"I threw the cigarette away and went indoors," he said.

"About an hour and a half later I was upstairs and heard all this crackling like somebody was having a fire.

"I looked out of the window and saw the back fence on fire."

He dimly remembered how the casually-tossed cigarette had hit the fence and tumbled down on to his peat-heavy flower bed.

"It must have sat there over an hour smouldering — and then up it went," he said.

With the six-foot-high wooden fence well alight, Mike's thoughts turned to his pride and joy — a newly built wooden summerhouse standing a few feet away.

"The first thing I did was call 999, which was just as well," he said.

"They arrived in about four minutes and were really great. I was in a total panic and tried to get the garden hose attached to the kitchen taps.

"But the dog kept barking and when I wasn't looking it jumped up and pulled the hose off the taps. Five minutes after the fire was out I went in and the kitchen floor was flooded.

"I feel very embarrassed and a bit of an idiot, because it was such a silly thing to do.

"The firefighters were excellent — but I think they felt the same thing about me.

"With all the hot weather I think it is worth warning people to be extra careful about where they throw cigarettes."

Mike's wife Beverley came home from work soon afterwards to be greeted by the sight of her smouldering fence and sheepish husband.

"I've told him so many times just to use the ashtray that is there," she said.

"I want to praise the fire brigade for doing an excellent job, and apologise for my husband."