A MAN who set fire to his home in a bid to kill himself following the breakdown of a relationship has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Wayne Feeley, 41, was also ordered to have treatment for his alcohol dependency when he appeared at Crown Court.

Feeley admitted he set fire to his Great Harwood home and telephoned his brother to tell him what he had done. Gary Feeley bravely broke in and found his brother on a sofa - he had been drinking and was later rescued by the fire service.

Feeley, 41, of Lime Street, pleaded guilty to arson and being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years and will also be supervised for two years.

Mr David Macro, prosecuting, said Feeley had been in a relationship for 10 years and the house was jointly owned.

He said that the relationship had been going wrong for eight months before the offence and the partner had been buying expensive items and Feeley ended up in debt.

Mr Macro said there were three seats of fire and around £5,000 worth of damage had been caused.

Miss Kathryn Johnson, defending, said Feeley - who was hospitalised in 2000 after a serious assault - had been frank with police.

When the relationship ended the partner took money that should have gone for the mortgage and she also took the family car, she said.

"The defendant found himself alone drinking and feeling helpless and took the actions to set fire to his home without taking into account the consequences to anyone else," said Miss Johnson.