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Two men travelled from London to mid Wales to torch the premises of a well-known Welsh brand, a court has heard. The blaze started by Darryl Kinnear and Peter Silva cost water company Ty Nant - famous for its iconic blue bottles - more than £600,000. The pair have been jailed for four years each for what police called a "reckless and dangerous act" that could easily have led to loss of life. Swansea Crown Court heard that at shortly before 11pm on June 17 this year emergency services were called to reports of a fire at the Ty Nant water plant in Bethania, Ceredigion . The fire caused extensive damage to the property and resulted in a financial loss of more than £600,000 for the company. For the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that the subsequent police and fire investigation established that the blaze had been started deliberately, and that two suspects from London were identified and arrested. Darryl Kinnear, aged 34, and 22-year-old Peter Silva, both from east London, had previously pleaded guilty to arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. With discounts for their guilty pleas both men were sentenced to four years in prison. Kinnear was also sentenced to 12 months to run consecutively with the four years for an offence of dangerous driving committed in London. The defendants will serve up to half the sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Speaking after the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective inspector Leon Lewis said: "This was a reckless and dangerous act that could have easily led to serious injury or loss of life. "Arson is a very serious crime, and I’d like to thank my investigative team for bringing these offenders to justice. These sentences reflect the gravity of their actions. "We will do everything in our power to catch and convict criminals that travel into our communities to commit crime."
