A man who sought revenge on a "noisy" neighbour by attempting to set fire to his flat has been jailed for three years.

Stephen Moyse, 48, reached "breaking point", Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday, during a row with Russell Whitlam, and started a fire with tissue paper doused in white spirit outside the door of Mr Whitlam's flat at Richard Gray Court, in Osney Lane, Oxford.

Jonathan Stone, prosecuting, said Moyse told police he wanted his neighbour to "feel his pain" after an ongoing dispute between the pair over noise. He said Moyse described Mr Whitlam as a "nuisance neighbour".

He said: "He spoke about kicking the door and shouting abuse at him. He said he was at breaking point.

"He said he was drunk and angry and resentful. He said he understood his actions could have burnt down the whole block of flats and put lives at risk."

Mr Stone said Moyse was an alcoholic. He admitted starting the fire, in August this year, after he was arrested the same day.

A neighbour called the fire brigade after smelling smoke, although the fire only damaged the flat's front door and did not spread.

Jennifer Edwards, defending, said Moyse, who admitted reckless arson, was genuinely remorseful.

She said: "This was an act completely out of character. It is clear that he and his neighbour were not getting on and there had been some attempts by Mr Moyse, failing, to seek assistance from other people.

"It is these activities, combined with the drinking, that tipped him over the edge."

Judge Anthony King said: "I understand how difficult it is to live with a noisy neighbour, but any sober person would realise that to react to that by deliberately setting fire to the front door of that neighbour's flat was an act which, put at its lowest, was one of extreme folly."