A HOMELESS man said he still has nightmares about the night his possessions were deliberately set on fire.

London-born Perry Parker was sleeping rough in Great Lever when he came back to find a bundle containing all his clothes was in fire – and saw a man running from the scene.

Mr Parker had been homeless for a year after arguing with his mother – first living in a tent in a field, before moving to under a railway bridge at the junction of Rupert Street and Lever Edge Lane.

The 48-year-old, who has two sons aged 16 and 18, called the fire brigade after he discovered the fire at about 10.15pm on Tuesday, March 10.

He said: “I came back to find all my clothes set on fire and I saw a man running away.

“I had never seen him before – I think he did it out of spite, or for a laugh.

“I was in shock, I was devastated. I felt like cutting my wrist. It was all my clothes, apart from what I was wearing, and there was nothing I could do.

“Now I am having really bad nightmares about it. I keep seeing it again and again and I wake up crying.”

When police and firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered Perry in a distressed state.

They called in the Community Risk Intervention Team (CRIT) – a new squad run by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with police and North West Ambulance Service.

The CRIT team, which has bases in Wigan, Salford and Wythenshawe but covers the whole of Greater Manchester, has attended 1,500 call outs since November last year.

The pilot was set up to reduce demand on A&E and police – with 75 per cent of calls to GMP not crime-related – and teams have links to social services.

CRIT officers stayed with Mr Parker, providing him with blankets and taking him to Urban Outreach Bolton, where he had an appointment the next day.

Urban Outreach have since been able to provide him with hostel accommodation at Muamba House, and he hopes to have a flat of his own in Bolton soon.

Adrian Peake, a member of the CRIT team, dealt with the incident. He added: “It felt good to be able to help.”

Andy Brett, from Bolton, has also set up an online donations page for the public to buy Perry new clothes, which has so far raised £35.

To make a donation: go to crowdfunding.justgiving.com/boltonwardrobe