Fears are growing for the future of an historic former school which has been targeted by vandals.

Arsonists are jeopardising their lives by trespassing on the site of the former Wapping Road First School in Bradford and a blaze on Monday night destroyed wooden floor joists.

A Victorian Grade II listed structure, the school has lain derelict since it closed nine years ago and councillors are concerned it will soon become damaged beyond repair.

An eight-foot high metal fence around its perimeter has failed to deter vandals while plans to convert the premises into apartments have stalled.

Bradford-based Sphinx Commercial Ltd bought the school from Bradford Council in 2006. It was granted planning permission in January, five years after the original application was submitted.

But a spokesman for the firm told the Telegraph & Argus the recession had shackled its development ambitions.

The spokesman said: “We have got to pay the Council for recreation facilities and at the moment it is not feasible to start the project.

“At the time when we bought it, we were in a housing boom but because the planning process has taken so long, we have missed the boat.

“We are committed to the site and we do want to make it safer but we can’t do anything else without having a bat survey and archaeological survey done.”

Councillor Zameer Hussain Shah said he and other councillors were pushing for discussions between the Council and the developers to get something done about the vandalism.

A spokesman for English Heritage said: “We are aware Victorian schools across the country are under threat and recently we published guidance on their conservation. Bradford has a legacy in its historic school buildings and we hope the future of Wapping Road School can be secured quickly.”