A massive blaze at historic Oakworth Mill came just weeks after the owner made renewed efforts to keep vandals out.

Peter Thornton ejected youngsters from the derelict complex during the Easter holidays and ensured it was boarded up.

Several fires have previously been started in the two linked mill buildings, and serious damage was narrowly avoided last year.

More than half the complex was severely damaged in Friday's blaze as 14 fire crews battled to keep the fire under control.

The blaze was being investigated this week by West Yorkshire Fire Service experts, but no cause has yet been identified.

The incident has put a question mark over Mr Thornton's plans to convert the mill into up-market flats.

The roof and all the floors burned through on the part which is not listed, and flames spread to the lower, listed 18th century part.

People living in nearby cottages on Mill Lane were evacuated as up to 80 firefighters from Keighley, Haworth, Silsden, Halifax and Bradford tackled the blaze.

The fire was brought under control within about two hours. Firemen returned during the weekend to dampen down and check for safety.

Graham Lloyd, of Mill Lane, was one of several people who alerted the fire brigade after seeing smoke coming from the building.

He says: "I just saw a tiny plume of smoke coming out of the windows. It just burst into fire.

"This has been on the cards a long time. Kids have been playing in it, climbing in. It's been on fire three or four times before.

"The fire brigade have been up before in the early hours of the morning and they've caught it because the mill is such a damp old place."

Mr Thornton believes dampness in the listed part of the building, which has a flat roof, stopped Friday's blaze taking hold. The gutted part has a sloping roof and was drier.

He says: "We seem to have had a spate of fires. We've had a struggle keeping children out. It seems to have been a playground for youths."

Mr Thornton, who runs Bradley-based Thornton Property (Oakworth), inspected the mill earlier this week with a Bradford council buildings control officer.

Mr Thornton says the buildings were declared "stable", though the section of Mill Lane running past the mill must remain closed.

Thornton Property has planning permission to turn the listed building into 12 apartments with car parking below.

The original intention had been to demolish the other building, but plans were being prepared to convert it to flats too.

Mr Thornton says this idea could now be in doubt, but he must wait until a detailed survey has been carried out on the building's structure. "It's rather sad. It may be rebuilt. We'll try to stick to our plans but it depends," he says. "The fire brigade did a marvellous job. The stones should be salvageable."

Keighley police sergeant Allan Gee says fellow officers are looking into the incident. He adds: "As it stands there's no evidence to suggest or identify a cause of the fire."

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