Police called after teens ‘deliberately start fire’ at derelict paper mill

Police were called after a group of teenagers deliberately set a fire at an abandoned mill in Rishton.

The fire service was called the former Rishton Paper Mill yesterday (June 30) where a fire was “deliberately started”.

Five teenagers, thought to be 15 or 16-years-old, were still inside when fire crews arrived and did not listen to firefighters when they were asked to leave.

Firefighters tried to tell the teens about the dangers of asbestos that is lying all over the site, leaving them at risk of developing health issues in the future.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “We've just got back from a deliberately set fire at the old paper mill in Rishton.

“A number of teens (approximately 15-16 years old, three girls, two boys) were still inside when we arrived and paid no attention to directions from firefighters to leave.

“We tried to tell them about the dangers of the asbestos that is lying all over the site.

“If these are your children, they are at risk of contamination and breathing fibres from broken asbestos sheets can cause all sorts of issues later in life.

“The police were called but they made their way up into Rishton on Hermitage Street.”