Robert Gailey, 79, said he was using the tool, which burns weeds, to treat his driveway when a couple of runaway sparks from the gas-powered tool flew into the neighbor's shrubs and ignited a blaze, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.

"I may be over 70 but I ran to get the hose from my back garden but unfortunately the flames had taken hold," Gailey said. "Thankfully, no damage was done to any of the houses and the bill for the repair work has been agreed on between myself and the neighbors."

A spokesman for the Strathclyde Fire Brigade reiterated the need for safety when using garden tools.

"People should be extremely careful when they use blowtorch devices such as these in their gardens," the spokesman said.