ROMAN Catholic leaders have decided to demolish an 80-year-old church gutted by an arson attack.

St Anne's RC Church, France Street, Blackburn, will be pulled down in the next few weeks, three months after the fire which destroyed the interior and part of the roof.

Fr Jim McCartney said that, although he felt sad for parishioners grieving for their church, he was excited by the new possibilities for the church and the neighbouring THOMAS charity, whose buildings were not affected by the blaze.

Bishop Terence Brain, head of the Salford Diocese, said: "It was not our original intention to knock St Anne's down.

"In fact, before the fire, we were going to re-develop the church so it could accommodate the work of THOMAS and still provide a church space for the worshipping community. But the fire has altered the situation."

Bishop Brain said it would be a waste of money to restore the church to its former glory then begin knocking out the interior to make more room for THOMAS.

Instead, they had decided to demolish the church and use insurance compensation for new buildings.

He said: "We may build a new place of worship on the site of St Anne's, or we may build a THOMAS development on the site and a new worship building in the centre to serve the new needs of the Catholic community."

The Salford Diocese is likely to spend several months before making a decision, said Fr Jim, who runs the charity to help drug addicts and the homeless.

He said the congregation had been very upset when the news was announced at a Sunday mass. About 130 people attended the church regularly, and are now attending services at the nearby primary school.

He added: "I feel sad for them, the church has meant a lot to them over the years.

"But it's important we look at the tremendous opportunities for the church and the work we are doing here.

"This is the moment for responding to new challenges.

"The parish is 150 years old and the church is probably only 80 years old.

"In those 150 years, the people have had to respond to different challenges and we are now faced with a new one.

"I'm quite excited about what's awaiting us."

He said the THOMAS charity's work with excluded young people would not be stopped by the fire or the decision to demolish the church.

Police have not yet caught the arsonist, who struck just before Christmas.

PIC: Father Jim McCartney outside St Anne's Church, on France Street.