Demolition begins at Bradford mill destroyed by fire

A derelict mill destroyed by fire last week has now been knocked down after being declared unsafe.
By Grace Newton
Published 25th Mar 2019, 14:58 BST
Updated 25th Mar 2019, 15:08 BST
The severely damaged mill is now being demolishedThe severely damaged mill is now being demolished
The severely damaged mill is now being demolished

The four-storey building on Great Horton Road in Bradford caught fire last Tuesday and the roof collapsed.

The mill is disused and was last occupied by an envelope factory.

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This is why there are so many mill fires in YorkshireIt is not known what caused the fire.

Kayedem plant machinery works on the mill clearanceKayedem plant machinery works on the mill clearance
Kayedem plant machinery works on the mill clearance

Local demolition contractors Kayedem are now on the site clearing the structure after it was surveyed and found to be unsafe.

A Historic England investigation in 2017 found that there had been over 100 fires at derelict mills in Bradford alone since 2010. Drummonds Mill and Prospect Mills were both severely damaged, while Newsome Mill in Huddersfield and Bank Bottom Mill in Marsden were also struck by major fires. A teenager was convicted of arson after setting fire to a four-storey mill on Rebecca Street in Bradford that had recently been brought back into use as business premises in 2017.

Many of the blazes are thought to have been started either deliberately by vandals and arsonists or accidentally by rough sleepers. As so many of the old mills are empty, it can be easy to gain access to the buildings.