A SENIOR firefighter is calling for a disuse mill to be pulled down following a series of nuisance fires.

Crews were twice called out on Friday to the building, between Hanover Street and Garside Street, to deal with suspected arson attacks.

The first broke out at 11am and firefighters dealt with the blaze for an hour.

They did not leave the scene until 3.30pm due to a problem with the fire engine.

At 5pm, they were called back to deal with a second blaze, when firefighters found a gas cylinder at the scene.

Last July, a massive fire broke out at the same mill and up to 50 firefighters from across the borough were brought in to tackle the flames.

It has already been earmarked for demolition but firefighters are calling for the work to be done as soon as possible.

Watch Commander Danny Marshall, from Bolton Central fire station, said: "It is believed that these fires were started deliberately, which is very serious.

"We found a propane gas cylinder there, which is potentially explosive. There are a lot of potential hazards in the mill. The people doing this are not only putting themselves at risk, but also firefighters and members of the public.

"These unnecessary fires meant that we could not do our community-based work and tied up resources that could be needed elsewhere to save lives.

"This spot has been targeted several times over the last few months, which other crews have dealt with.

"I don't know the time scale of the demolition, but for us it would be beneficial for it to be done as soon as possible."