A DERELICT care centre has been gutted by fire following a suspected arson attack.

Mowbray Day Centre, off Park Lee Road, Higher Croft, Blackburn, went up in flames yesterday evening and firefighters spent 12 hours tackling the inferno.

Residents living near the building have demanded action and claimed it had become a “haven for vandals”.

Fire crews were called to the blaze at around 8.30pm on Sunday and found the building well alight with flames and smoke rising high into the air.

Fire engines from Blackburn, Accrington and Darwen were called in to tackle the blaze and the final crews left the scene just after 8am this morning.

A Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “This appears to have been deliberately started and police are now investigating the incident.”

Until its closure last year, Mowbray Day Centre provided care for adults with learning disabilities.

This morning, however, the large building was a burnt out shell, littered with blackened beams with much of its roof caved in.

And residents said the situation had become unbearable since it closed down around eight-months-ago.

Julie Gregson, 48, lives in Mowbray Avenue, which backs onto the day centre, said: “There have been fires here before and there has been a lot of concern since it shut last year.

“Kids are hanging around there every night and it has become a real haven for vandals.

“It needs fencing off or tearing down because things have got that bad.”

Raymond Harris, 56, also of Mowbray Avenue, added: “There has been a lot of trouble round the site recently and there’s always kids knocking around.

“Something needs to be done to stop this happening because while it’s there it just keeps attracting gangs of kids.”