A British man who started a fire on a DFDS ferry that was on a voyage from Newcastle to Ijmuiden in December which resulted in six people being airlifted to safety has been jailed for 11 years.

Boden George Hughes was drunk and smoking cannabis when he set fire to a pile of clothes, Newcastle Crown Court heard, the BBC reports on its website. Judge James Goss said his action was a "spectacular piece of recklessness". The man was drunk and had been smoking cannabis when he carried out his act, the report said.

The fire was put out by the crew.