DEMOLITION crews have pulled down the rear and side of the former Accrington Conservative Club following the huge blaze last week.

Some of the residents evacuated following the fire at the 125-year-old building, in Cannon Street, have now been allowed to return to their homes.

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Friends of Accrington Conservative Club set up a donation page and petition in a final attempt to save the building from ruin.

Newly-instated Hyndburn Deputy Mayor Cllr Peter Britcliffe said: “It is proceeding at pace and it is being demolished to the level of the front door.

“Residents have moved back into Paradise Street but not yet into Eagle Street.

“Over the weekend, numerous people have expressed great sadness that this building is coming down.

“Intervention is needed in these older buildings at a much earlier stage.”

On Monday, rubble and bricks could be seen littering the roadside, where demolition crews had pulled some of the building down.

It follows a blaze which erupted at the building around 4am last Wednesday and was tackled by around 50 firefighters while it raged for 10 hours.

At least two cats were left homeless due to the blaze, when their owners were evacuated from their homes.

Andy Richards of Accrington’s Friends of the Cats said: “Chong was made homeless when his people had to be evacuated from their home because of the large fire.

“Chong was sitting on the front doorstep since the fire, waiting to be let in, but he is now in our care until his family are allowed back in their home again.”

Hyndburn Council announced on Friday that two thirds of the building would be knocked down.

Leader Miles Parkinson said: “Most of the rear of the building and side of the building are down and this work is ongoing.

“The top two thirds of the front is going to come down and then there will be an investigation.

“Residents are in dialogue with building control so that they know when they can return to their homes.”

The Building Control team will assess whether the final third will also need to be demolished.

Friends of the club were urgently trying to raise funds to prevent the demolition of the former Conservative Club.

Club founder, Samuel Magee, set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to raise £7,500 to save the facade of the historic building.

A petition to save the grade-two-listed building also accrued more than 100 signatures in two days.