A looter set fire to the historic House of Reeves furniture store in a "callous and vindictive act", a court heard today.

Gordon Thompson, 33, is accused of setting the furniture shop on fire on August 8 during the Croydon riots.

At the Old Bailey today, a jury of four men and eight women heard how Mr Thompson set alight a sofa in the store reducing the 150-year-old building to charred timbers and rubble.

Speaking for the prosecution, Oliver Glasgow said: "Gordon Thompson played a leading part in the disorder that took place in Croydon that night.

"He ran riot through the streets, he vandalized property, he smashed shop windows, he forced his way into stores in order to loot them of their contents and he deliberately set fire to a sofa in a furniture showroom burning the building to the ground."

The court heard how Mr Thompson, a man living in Waddon Road, had looted Iceland and House of Fraser earlier that night. The father of two then attacked one of Croydon's oldest stores, the jury heard.

Mr Glasgow said the actions of the painter and decorator put "the lives of many residents and the emergency services in very real danger".

The jury were told how Mr Thompson entered the building after others had smashed the glass.

The court heard how he stole a computer and on his way out asked a fellow rioter for a lighter, before setting fire to a sofa in the shop resulting in a ferocious fire.

Images of the huge blaze at the Croydon landmark were beamed across the globe and became an iconic image of the August riots.

The Reeves store was founded in 1867 and current owner Trevor Reeves is the fifth generation of the family to run the business.

The old shop had withstood two World Wars but was left gutted following the fire.

The nearby tram stop is named after the firm, which has pledged to build a new furniture store on the site of the historic building.

Mr Thompson denies arson with intent to endanger life.

He also denies stealing a laptop from House of Reeves and violent disorder.

The trial continues.