The jury in the trial of a Sudbury man accused of deliberately started two fires at flats in the town has retired to consider its verdicts.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday was Aaron Hubbard, 43, of Minden Road, Sudbury, who has denied two offences of arson with intent to endanger life and two alternative offences of arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.

The first fire was in a stairwell near the main front door of seven flats located in Queensbury House  above the Weavers Tap pub in East Street, Sudbury, in March 2021.

By the time firemen arrived the fire had burnt itself out but they found the stairwell full of smoke, said Simon Gladwell, prosecuting.

The second fire was in July last year in a ground floor flat in a two storey block in Minden Road, Sudbury.

The front door of the flat, which was unoccupied at the time, was damaged and there was also smoke damage.

Fire investigators found that both fires had been started deliberately, said Mr Gladwell.

Hubbard was arrested by police after he was allegedly seen near the location of both fires, before and after they were started.

He had allegedly spoken to a policeman outside the Queensbury House fie and told the officer that the building had a timber roof and he was" surprised it hadn't burnt down".

The court heard that after his arrest for the first fire he allegedly said "it's about the flats" without the police mentioning anything about the location of the fire.

He then claimed to have given a homeless man he had seen sitting outside the flats a disposable lighter and said he had later seen him making a hand-rolled cigarette.

The jury retired to consider its verdicts on Thursday and is expected to continue its deliberations on Friday.