A DISGRUNTLED employee who started a fire at an office block because he was stressed and overworked has been jailed for three years.

Graham Barnes, 55, caused the evacuation of dozens of work colleagues from the building after he set alight various flammable materials in the men's toilets.

Because some of the debris found by firefighters looked like an incendiary device, the army's bomb disposal squad also had to be called in.

Barnes, who worked in customer services for an insurance broker, claimed the fire was a cry for help as he had become stressed at having to do the work of five staff.

A court heard he had worked for the company for three years and had been signed off work for four weeks before he returned and started the fire on May 30.

The fire service did not actually have to put out the blaze as it melted a water tank which extinguished it.

But AJ Gallagher, the company which owns the building that is occupied by multiple telesales firms, said up to £15,000 worth of damage was caused.

Barnes was arrested the following day after he was identified from CCTV footage from within the building in Bournemouth.

He denied starting the fire in police interview and said he had been to the toilet but had not seen any smoke and had left the building when the alarm sounded.

But Barnes later pleaded guilty to arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Robert Bryan, prosecuting, said: "The fire was started in a void in the men's toilets on the third floor. A member of staff entered the toilet and noticed a lot of smoke coming from the ceiling.

"The alarm was sounded and the building evacuated.

"It was apparent the fire started behind the wall panels in a void accessed through mesh ceiling panels.

"Looking into the void the fire officers could see debris including a deodorant can, the head of at least one lighter, batteries. They discovered a tube of super glue, food packaging, tissue paper, plastic cutlery, plastic bottles with wire or wiring around the neck of the bottle.

"This was suspected to be an incendiary device so a further call was made to the police and the bomb squad."

Rose Burns, defending, explained Barnes had been feeling 'extremely emotional' and unwell and the build up to the fire.

He said: "He was working on customer services, telesales getting insurance through brokers. There were only two of them and there should have been ten.

"He said to his employers he was stressed and unwell and was off sick for at least four weeks.

"He wasn't sleeping, getting upset, drinking, he couldn't talk to his partner, he was getting annoyed and angry.

"He had been to the doctors and got tablets but felt they didn't work, he'd tried counselling and by the time of the incident he was in a complete mess.

"He knows it was a stupid irrational thing to do, it was a cry for help.

"He didn't want to harm anyone and says he put it behind the wall so that it wouldn't damage anyone, it would just create smoke, in his deluded state.

"He is very sorry and this is the first time in his life he has taken action of this sort."

In jailing him Judge Stephen Climie said: "The setting of fires in premises, whatever may be the intention, will always have with it a significant risk.

"One never knows the extent to which a given building's fire systems are sufficient to cope with even the mildest of flames.

"You were in a state of mind which can be described as ill-health, you were extremely unwell, but these are offences which must carry with them an immediate custodial sentence."

A spokesman for AJ Gallagher said: "We take the welfare of our colleagues extremely seriously and the safety and well-being of our people is always our primary focus.

"Graham Barnes is no longer an employee of Gallagher and, as such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further."