Beauty spot mill torn down after arson attack

A DERELICT mill at a beauty spot has been reduced to rubble after a fire which is being treated as deliberate.

As many as six fire engines were sent out to the disused building off Grove Road, in Millbrook, Tameside, before 4.40am yesterday as the fire was at its peak.

Smoke billowed over Stalybridge, Dukinfield and Ashton-under-Lyne, while neighbours were warned to keep their windows and doors closed.

After 10am work began to pull the disused mill down. After five hours, the building had been demolished.

The three-storey mill, which has stood derelict for more than 20 years, was already well alight by the time fire crews arrived on the scene.

The mill is believed to have been used by a rubber manufacturer before it closed.

Water had been pumped from the nearby Huddersfield Narrow Canal to help bring the fire under control, with crews using ground monitors and aerial platforms to help them tackle the fire.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way, with Greater Manchester Police treating the blaze as arson. A GMP spokesperson said: “There are no injuries and no arrests have been made.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 0161 856 9216, quoting incident 357 of April 15, or Crimestoppers.