A DERELICT college site in Horwich is being plagued by vandals and nuisance fires.

Fire crews were called out to Bolton College's Horwich campus again on Wednesday night.

The building, located in Victoria Street, has been vacant since 2014 and has since become derelict.

Horwich fire crew said the site has become a magnet for vandals, after a number of break-ins and fires.

The crew was called to the site at about 9pm on Wednesday after rubbish was deliberately set on fire on a flat part of roof on the building.

Crew manager David Fiddler said: “The site is a mess. There have been several fires started on the site now and it has been broken into on several occasions.

"Police are called to the building most nights too. It was a deliberate fire but we arrived on the scene within three minutes and were able to put it out. It could have been worse."

Outline planning permission to build 140 homes on the site was approved in June 2014 by Bolton Council.

The plans caused controversy with St Mary’s RC Primary School who wanted to share some of the site for future expansion.

A spokesman for Jones Homes said: "We will be submitting a reserved matters planning application in the coming weeks."

The fact that the site will not be used for educational purposes is "a missed opportunity" said a spokesman for community group Horwich First.

He added: "The site is a missed opportunity to develop further educational facilities to accommodate the growing population in Horwich.

“The fire is a sad reminder of that loss and brings it home that its days are numbered."

Horwich councillor Kevin McKeon said the site should be demolished.

He added: “From the community's perspective it would be very beneficial if the college was demolished and work to build the houses could begin.

“It is not a council-owned site unfortunately, but the council’s community safety team and the police have met to discuss the issues that the derelict college is presenting.

“So we are aware and we are concerned about it — but unfortunately it’s not in our hands to do anything about it.”

There are currently no imminent plans for work to begin on the site.