A SENIOR firefighter has warned that a derelict building in Bolton town centre is becoming a “magnet for youngsters messing around”, after a fourth fire in two months at the site.

Three fire crews responded to a fire in the abandoned building which used to be the ‘Late Club’ and ‘Ice’ nightclubs in Bank Street. The building was empty when firefighters arrived and nobody was injured. There was minor damage to workmen’s equipment caused by the fire — believed to have been started by youths lighting rubbish.

Watch manager Pete Wilmot, from Bolton North fire station, said: “It has happened a few times recently. It is an ongoing problem with kids getting in. It is difficult to get in at the back. They have to go in over the river, but they’re finding ways in there. I would say to parents, now it’s the school holidays, do you know where your children are and what they are up to? The building is derelict and is a bit of a magnet for kids messing around.”