A MAN who deliberately set fire to himself on the forecourt of a Salisbury garage died in the intensive care unit at Salisbury district hospital in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 37-year-old man, whose identity is not being released until his family have been contacted, had walked into the Shell Service Station in Wilton Road just after 9.30am on Tuesday and obtained a can from the garage shop.

He then walked to one of the pumps on the forecourt and put a quantity of petrol into the can.

Staff were horrified when they saw him suddenly pour petrol over himself, then swallow some of the fuel before setting himself alight.

Staff rushed to him to try and put out the flames while other members of staff contacted the emergency services.

The man was taken to hospital with serious burns and internal injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit in a critical condition.

A police spokesman said yesterday morning that the man had died in the early hours of the morning "due to the serious nature of his injuries."