BUSINESS owners are counting the cost of a huge fire at a Farnworth mill where their firms are based.

Fire spread through Harrowby Mill, in Harrowby Street, at 6am on Monday.

Firefighters fought the blaze for hours, then in the afternoon demolition workers were called in to remove the roof and first and second floors. The work is continuing.

The ground floor, where 10 businesses are based, is expected to be left standing, but the business premises were badly water damaged

Part of Harrowby Street was closed as a safety measure and will remain shut until building inspectors decide the mill is safe.

The blaze started on the first floor. There have been reports of children seen in the mill during the school holidays.

Leading fireman at Farnworth station Daniel Marshall said: "Because of the state of building we had to withdraw crews and fight it from the outside."

The investigation began once the building had been made safe.

Steve Walker, aged 57, owns B & S Plastics at the mill and employs four people. Staff managed to salvage computer equipment before water flooded the workshop.

He said: "We have been here 18 years and this has been a real shock. If it is kids who caused this there's not much more that we can do to stop them getting in. We have tried putting barbed wire up but they still seem to get in."

Joe Donlon, aged 34, has been in the mill for five years with his business, Weldtech. He believes the fire has ruined equipment in his workshop, which is worth about £20,000.

He said: "I'm pretty sure my business is finished. I suppose I should look on the bright side and think positive. My wife, Jo, helps run the business and she is devastated.

"I am in the main part of the mill and have been told it's full of water. All my machinery is in there so I can't even go off site and work."

Bob Hannam, aged 55, owns Bolton Metal Spinning Company which makes street lighting. He employs five people and the business has been at the mill for 27 years.

He said: "We have got to move quickly to find new premises because if we don't meet our orders, companies will go elsewhere. I think we will end up moving all our machinery over to Rochdale, where we have another business.

"We have suffered severe water damage and expect a lot of our stock to be ruined. It's been a bit of a shock."

One of his employees, Marcus Morgan, said only last week he telephoned the police when they heard children on the floor above.

He said: "We called the police twice last Tuesday because there were around six kids playing above. They were only about nine years old and we told them to we had called the police but they carried on. They got up there after some builders left ladders hanging around."