A homeless man who lit a bonfire while sheltering in a beach hut caused £2,700 worth of damage.

Justin Cannon, 32, now living in Grand Parade, Brighton, admitted arson at Worthing Magistrates Court yesterday after the hut was gutted on May 15 last year.

Kirsten Sharp, prosecuting, said Cannon and a friend had sought accommodation in Lancing but ended up sheltering from high winds in a beach hut on the seafront.

She said: "Cannon rashly decided to light a fire to keep them warm. Unfortunately, the hut caught alight."

John Naylor, defending, said: "My client called for the fire brigade, he notified everybody.

"He had built the fire outside the hut but it was not far enough away."

Cannon was jailed for 42 days but had already been in police custody for half the sentence, while awaiting yesterday's hearing, and was released.