A MAN felt so desperate over a dispute with his council that he threatened to douse himself with petrol and set fire to himself, a court heard yesterday.

Steven Edmunds, aged 36, of Hillcrest View, Cwm-tillery, walked into the Abertillery Citizens Advice Bureau last Tuesday with a can of petrol and shouted: "You'd better get out....I'm not joking....I'm going to set myself alight and the building!"

He mistakenly thought the office was the local council building.

Mr Edmunds was eventually stopped from carrying out his threat and arrested by Detective Constable Paul Thear-Graham, of Abertillery CID.

Edmunds wanted to settle a five-month dispute with the Blaenau Gwent council.

Blaenau Gwent council evicted Edmunds from his bungalow on Hillcrest View, Cwmtillery, on October 1, 2002, after he fell into £248 arrears with his water rates.

Later that month, staff from the waste disposal team wrongfully repossessed some of Edmund's property - the majority of which was destroyed in a rubbish crusher. Edmunds claims the council had taken property worth £2,300.

When the council eventually admitted liability, Edmunds thought he was going to be reimbursed in full by their insurers Zurich. However, on the day Edmunds made the threat to set fire to himself, Zurich sent him a letter which contained a full and final offer of just £1,300.

At Abertillery magistrates court yesterday, Edmunds pleaded guilty to making threats to damage property and sentencing was ad-journed until next week.

Defending solicitor Kevan Lines said: "It may have been frightening to those involved but there was no intention to cause damage, but an attempt to be heard after he felt he was being marginalised by the council."

Edmunds, who was released on conditional bail, said outside the court: "I didn't want to kill myself - I just wanted to get the matter out in the open.

" The council took everything I had and they had no right to do it. They haven't even apologised to me."

A spokeswoman for Blaenau Gwent council said: "The court issued a possession order against this former tenant and he was evicted.

"Due to a misunderstanding over council houses being cleared for repair, some property was disposed of and we referred the matter to our insurers for them to reach an agreement with him."