THE roof of an empty office building in Horwich has been destroyed by fire.

Flames tore through the building, a former bleachworks in Wallsuches Lane, and 40 firefighters fought the blaze last night, which spread quickly because of the strong winds.

The firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading to the ground floor. It is believed someone broke into the building and started the fire. Plans had been submitted recently to turn the former offices into flats.

A housing developer submitted a planning request to turn the former offices into flats a few month ago.