A JUNIOR football team manager claims a fire which ripped through changing rooms could have put children's lives at risk.

Edward Sinclair, manager of Fulwood Town Youth Football Club, said his teams were playing at Preston North End's community pitches and changing facilities on Lowthorpe Road when the blaze broke out on September 12.

Now he is demanding extra security on the site and more fire safety procedures.

He said: "For the first time I can remember the changing rooms were locked. Normally there are 15 or 20 kids in there. What would have happened then?" Mr Sinclair added that the fire - which started at about 7.45pm - was just the latest in a series of worrying incidents.

"What is going to happen next? Lads come down and swear, shout and threaten people. It needs sorting out," he declared.

"I think that there should be some kind of security. It is PNE's duty to supervise it."

People who use the facilities, which were completely destroyed, include special needs children and ethnic groups. Mr Sinclair and the young players saw the blaze from the pitch. He said: "All of a sudden there was thick black smoke everywhere.

"Some of the children were quite frightened. They thought it was going to explode."

PNE community officer Ian Johnstone (pictured) said: "It is just petty vandalism. There is a long standing problem all over Preston."

Club Secretary Audrey Shaw said the emergency services were treating the fire as suspicious: "Anybody who saw anything should contact the police."

Mr Johnstone added: "It seems that if vandals want to do these things they will, whatever." Replacement facilities may be open in a couple of weeks.

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