CHILDREN and parents are being warned about the dangers of asbestos after a fire broke out at a disused nursery.

Firefighters believe that youths broke into the former Albion Street Nursery in Albion Street, Blackburn, on Thursday afternoon.

A blaze took hold of the old building around 2.30pm and spread to the asbestos roof - meaning crews and their equipment had to be decontaminated after spending an hour bringing the fire under control.

Crew manager Peter Turner said: “I don’t think that children realise the dangers of playing in old buildings like this.

"And there is a message to the parents too, that their children are putting themselves at risk.

"They don't know what they’re picking up on their hands and it takes decades for exposure to asbestos to take effect.

“This was quite a severe fire which left the asbestos in a broken state.

“Now it is damped down if no-one touches it, it should be ok.”

The fire is being treated as suspicious.