THE former Whitefield College, which is due for demolition, was the centre of a weekend arson attack.

Firebugs struck at the building in Albert Road and set five small fires, three in the gymnasium and two in the main building.

Now, detectives are continuing their investigations into the fierce blaze which broke out at 6.40 on Sunday morning, (April 27).

At its height, 15 firemen fought the blaze at the college building which closed its doors four months ago.

Two crews from Bury and one from Whitefield brought the blaze under control within 20 minutes.

For the rest of the day, officers maintained a vigil at the scene and were involved in damping down operations.

Specialist high pressure fan equipment was deployed to swiftly disperse smoke from the building.

The sale of the centre is pending and negotiations between Bury Council and a prospective purchaser are believed to be near completion.

The land is being sold for development. The weekend fire is being treated as arson.

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