A 31-YEAR-old man has appeared before Blackburn magistrates charged with arson after a fire in a bedroom of a Blackburn pub on Friday.

Former soldier Andrew Michael Taylor, who was living at the Royal Oak Hotel on Highfield Road, at the time of the offence, was sent on bail to Preston Crown Court on a charge of arson being reckless as to whether the lives of Clare Hartley, his mother, and others were endangered.

The court heard that a fire had been started in an upstairs bedroom of the pub at about 4.30 pm. People in the building tried to extinguish the blaze but were beaten back and the fire brigade had to be called.

A former girlfriend of Taylor's received a text message on her mobile which said 'bye bye pub and whoever is in it'.