Concerns have been raised over the future of a heritage building on the Horwich Loco Works following a blaze over the weekend.

The fire is understood to have taken place in one of the storage buildings, which has heritage significance.

The storage building is one of the original buildings built in 1886,.

It was used by workers using huge hoists to  store goods.

Three engines from Horwich, Wigan and Atherton were called to the fire at around 7pm on Saturday (June 17). 

Whilst the nature of the fire has not been confirmed Cllr Steven Chadwick says that there had previously been acts of vandalism involving rubbish being thrown in the building and tiles being removed.

The Bolton News: The fire yesterday

He is now concerned over what the fire will mean for the future of a building.

He said: "I was made aware of concerns with the stores building by residents and I reported these to Bolton Council on April 25 due the potential impact on the conservation area, and it being the last remaining parts of the Heritage Core and requesting action, particularly to repair and maintain the roof to an acceptable level and remove waste which had been dumped inside.

“I am yet to receive a reply".

When it comes to fly tipping or the building the council are responsible for dealing with queries relating to council land, but they say that they are continuing to work with emergency services to ensure it is "structurally safe".

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Officers from the council have been on site to assess the condition of the building.

“We continue to work with the emergency services, and representatives of the building owner, to ensure it is structurally safe and does not pose a risk to the public.”

Plans are in place for hundreds of homes to be built on part of Horwich Loco Works as part of regeneration plans to meet housing demands in Bolton, but discussions are still in place over the heritage buildings.

Cllr Peter Wright said: “Obviously we need houses, but we want to preserve the heritage as much as we can.

“One of the old heritage buildings caught fire and it is in very bad repair.

“Most of the councillors are against knocking it down, but this will be discussed.

“If we can try and preserve as much of the interior of the building as we much as can, we could try and find a commercial use and subsidise the heritage core.”

One of the reasons Cllr Wright says the heritage buildings are important is because of the history they hold and how it transformed Horwich, when it was built in 1884.

He said: “The Horwich Locomotive made a big impact on Horwich because it increased the size of the town substantially.

“You can’t speak to anybody who doesn’t have a relative that has worked here.

“It would be a shame to get rid of this history because it’s a fantastic bit of heritage to pass on.”

Fire services and police have been contacted for more information.

A meeting between developers and councillors is expected to take place soon, with the future of the building to be one of the first item on the agenda.

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.