A FORMER Burnley pub was targeted by arsonists during the early hours of this morning.

The White Hart in Church Street, which earned its reputation as a live music venue and was a fixture of the town’s blues festival fringe for many years, suffered severe structural damage in the deliberate blaze, which began at about 1am.

Firefighters from Burnley and Nelson tackled the blaze for almost three hours after a passer-by saw smoke billowing from the top of the building.

Initially, fire crews struggled to identify the seat of the fire because of the quantity of smoke, but eventually it became apparent several pockets of fire had been ignited deliberately.

The fire was so well-developed on the ground floor, the blaze broke the front windows.

Four fire engines and six fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building.

Burnley watch manager Steve Harrison said: “When we arrived at the pub it was clear it had been extensively vandalised and as well as identifying the seats of the fire the firefighters had to navigate holes in the floor because floorboards had been removed.

“The cause of the fire is being treated as deliberate and we are now launching a joint investigation with the police to find the cause of the fire.”

Plans to convert the pub into a new Indian restaurant were submitted to the council in June.

Mahmood Akhtar, who runs similar ventures in Keighley and Shipley, West Yorkshire has applied to Burnley Council for permission to change the pub into a restaurant, to be known as Shimla Spice.