A MUM has apologised after she damaged her neighbour's property while trying to burn ivy off her own home with a flame-thrower.

Dina Whitehouse, who was fined £1,000 at Gloucester Crown Court, told the Gazette "it was an accident and I'm very sorry".

The 40-year-old was trying to remove ivy from the front of her council house in Rangers Avenue, Dursley with a 'weedburner' she'd bought from Lidl when things went dramatically wrong.

Last Thursday, the court heard that Whitehouse stood on an old tree stump to get more height, while wearing flip flops, but slipped and fell, accidentally shooting flames which caused damage to the brickwork and windows of hers and her elderly neighbour's houses.

Fining Whitehouse £1,000 and ordering her to pay £101 compensation and £250 costs, Judge Ian Lawrie QC told her she had been 'stupid, if not foolish' and had disregarded health and safety.

Whitehouse had originally been charged with arson endangering life but at an earlier hearing the prosecution agreed that this was too severe.

She pleaded guilty to a less serious charge of damaging a building belonging to Stroud District Council by arson, in the incident on July 22, 2018.

The charge said she caused £101.26 worth of damage to windows and brickwork.

Steve Young, representing Whitehouse, told the court she"had been trying to remove ivy from the wall of the house she has lived in for the past 18 years.

“The ivy had reached her daughter’s bedroom window which caused bugs to enter the room. She had asked her partner to deal with it, but he refused.

“After seeing a flame-thrower in a supermarket, she had the bright idea of using it to solve the problem.

“She had successfully completed the first three feet when she decided she needed additional height and made use of a tree stump to stand on.

“But because she was wearing flip flops, she fell off and the flame thrower caught the vegetation alight. Being green, it didn’t catch fire but smouldered and became very smoky.

“Buckets of water were thrown on the undergrowth but the fire did not go out and so the fire services were called to extinguish the fire.

“Whitehouse admits what she did was reckless as it damaged the neighbouring property owned by an elderly couple.”

Judge Lawrie said to Whitehouse: “The kindest thing I can say about your actions is that you were stupid, if not foolish. It was a complete disregard for health and safety.”

Speaking to the Gazette yesterday, Whitehouse said she was suffering from anxiety at the time of the incident due to the breakdown of a relationship.

"I wouldn't ever do the same thing again but my anxiety was sky high at the time," she said. "When I let go, it (the flame-thrower) should have cut out but it didn't."