Firefighters are warning children about the dangers of playing in derelict buildings following a series of incidents at former industrial premises.

Disused buildings in Roberts Street, off Westgate, Cleckheaton, have proved attractive to youngsters for years, leading to incidents involving children starting fires or playing on roofs.

The latest incident came on Tuesday night, when firemen from Cleckheaton station were scrambled to the scene to tackle a blaze in a temporary building on the site. The cabin-type building was destroyed in the intense blaze, which started at about 10.50pm.

Watch manager Dan Gledhill, of Cleckheaton fire station, said: “We believe the fire was started by children who had been playing around.

“There are lots of old businesses in that area that are closed and it seems to be an area where children go.

“In that area, we have had a lot of incidents in the past and it’s a case of trying to get it all boarded up and secured.”

Mr Gledhill pointed to a number of potential dangers for youngsters who enter derelict buildings.

He said: “Some of these buildings are in a bad state, so there’s a risk of falling through holes in floors.

“And if they’re lighting fires, there’s a chance they could get stuck in a burning building. That building the other night would have gone up extremely quickly.”

Mr Gledhill said problems at the Roberts Street site had been a long standing issue in the town.

As far back as 2006, the Telegraph & Argus reported how a teenage girl became stuck on the roof of one of the derelict buildings and had to be rescued by firefighters.

Last year, Cleckheaton firefighters issued a similar safety warning to young people in the summer holidays, urging them to stay away from the town’s derelict buildings.

At that stage, it was revealed that firemen had attended no fewer than 40 fires in and around Westgate Mills, Cleckheaton, 40 at Harrison Gardner Mills, Hightown, and 12 at the former Grylls Middle School, also in Hightown, in the last two years.