IT was only 25 pence worth of petrol in a glass energy drink bottle - but the consequences could have been devastating.

Police told how they treated the firebombing of The Castle pub as a potential multiple murder inquiry from the start.

More than 50 officers, including specialist firearm teams, were involved the investigation trawling through CCTV footage, interviewing scores of witnesses and searching properties.

Detective Inspector Kath Barnes, who led the investigation, said: "It was a very unusual incident - we do not get petrol bombings in Southampton. But the violence between groups of youths from different parts of the city is not unusual."

Police discovered the gang involved - the Thornhill Boyz - had called at the Texaco garage on the A27 Swaythling Road. The moments were captured on CCTV which can be seen by clicking on Echo Video News on this website.

It shows one member of the gang going into the shop to buy a glass bottle of Purdeys energy drink.

Darren McCash then sat in the back of the car with the door open and filled the bottle directly from the pump with 25 pence worth of petrol.

He then went in and asked the cashier for some blue hand towel, from which the firebomb's wick was made.

DI Kath Barnes said: "The motive was nothing more than a group from the Thornhill area who refer to themselves as SO19, or the Thornhill Boyz, attacking a rival group."

DI Barnes added: "The reason we got guilty pleas is the co-operation we got from the community.

"There is lots of talk around the country of gangs. I would like to think that actually here in Southampton the public are brave enough to say 'enough is enough, this is a step too far'."

Police are still keen to trace a black handgun that one of the gang had on the night and pointed at the landlord.

"Nobody has been charged with the firearm offence because it was too difficult to identify the person. We have also never recovered the weapon so we don't know if it's real or imitation," DI Barnes added.

TO SEE THE VIDEO OF THE MOMENTS BEFORE THE FIREBOMBING WHEN THE GANG WERE CAPTURED ON CCTV AT A PETROL STATION CLICK ON ECHO VIDEO NEWS.