A PRIMARY school building — destroyed in a mystery blaze — is set to be bulldozed this week.

A demolition team has taken charge of Clarendon Primary School’s former building in Clarendon Street after it was gutted by a huge fire last Monday.

The building was already listed for demolition after the school vacated it to move into new facilities in April.

After the fire extensively damaged the roof of the Victorian building, Bolton Council moved to speed up the demolition process.

According to a spokesman, the building should be knocked down either today or tomorrow, with a demolition team on site now.

Ken Green, aged 88, attended the school between 1929 and 1938, and lived directly opposite the building in houses owned by his father’s employer LMS Railway.

He left aged 13 to get a job but has happy memories of the old building.

Mr Green said: “I remember bits and bobs really, but some things really vividly. We used to have little desks and our own little ink pots.

"We had some great times there. The best thing was going out on the park over the road, playing football and using rounders sticks for posts.”

Mr Green, aged 88, still lives in Great Lever and said the sight of the devastating blaze ruining the old building had angered him. He added: “I was really annoyed when I saw the news. If it was deliberate, I wouldn’t have thought anyone would want to do anything like this. It was a sad end.”

A Bolton Council spokesman said: “It was the council’s intention to demolish the former school building following the opening of the new school and a contractor was in the process of being appointed.

“We appointed a demolition contractor who took control of the site once the fire service completed their work.

“For their own safety, we would urge people not to climb any fencing or enter the site by any means.

“Following demolition of the building, the site will be retained as open space.”

The results of an investigation into the cause of the fire were inconclusive but the fire service has not ruled out arson