A COUNCILLOR is calling for a Hoddlesden mill wrecked by fire last month to be demolished.

Coun Julie Slater said the three-storey Vernon-Carus Mill, in Johnson New Road, should be pulled down “as soon as possible”.

She said McInerney Homes had indicated to her that it was to be demolished.

But the firm said no final decision had been made following the blaze on November 22.

Bosses have already vowed to continue with original plans to convert the site into apartments, sheltered housing and offices.

Coun Slater said: “They have got to do something with it as soon as possible.

“I went round shortly before the fire and it was ideal for tramps to go in, and for kids to go in and set fireworks off in.

“Thieves had been boring holes in the walls and had taken out all the copper wiring. The road is still closed while it’s like it is, so it does need demolishing as soon as possible.”

Metal fences have been erected to stop the public nearing the shell of the building, which contains a mass of charred and twisted wooden floor boards and rubble.

Buses that would normally travel in Johnson New Road have been cancelled and McInerney Homes has laid on special school shuttle buses and taxis for elderly people inconvenienced by the road closure.

A spokesperson for McInerney Homes North West said: “So soon after the disappointment of the fire, no decision has yet been made on the final plans for the site and we will look to continue working with the planning office to design the best possible development to meet the needs of the local market.”

An investigation by police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue has not yet identified the cause of the blaze.

They said the intensity of the fire had made it difficult to discover exactly what had happened.