ARSONISTS HAVE destroyed part of an historic building in Telford which is being transformed into luxury flats as part of a multi-million pound project.

Developers today offered a £5,000 reward for information about the blaze at the Walker Institute, in Oakengates, and revealed it was the fifth time the building had been targeted in the last five days.

Nearly 40 firefighters were drafted in to tackle the fire at the building in Hartsbridge Road at 5.45pm yesterday after passers-by reported seeing smoke pouring out of the windows.

The blaze started in a single storey extension at the back of the site before spreading to the main building.

Fire chiefs said the extension, a former leisure facility including a swimming pool, had been destroyed but the institute had been saved thanks to ‘some fantastic fire fighting’.

Police cordoned off Hartsbridge Road and parts of Holyhead Road last night as crews battled the blaze for almost two hours.

Mark Weaver, Telford Fire Station manager and the incident commander, said: “There seemed to a severe fire inside. There has been a history of break-ins into this property all week so our fire investigation team are coming out to ascertain the cause.”

The 1920s building has been empty for more than nine years after Telford College of Arts and Technology vacated it. It was recently bought by Hama Investments Ltd which is turning it into 14 luxury apartments.

Angie Kousoulou, project manager, today said fire investigators were at the scene. He said security staff were being drafted in to patrol the site at night and security lighting and CCTV would also be installed.

“We’ve been involved with the property for six months now, but every night for the last five days we are getting burgled or broken into. The lead has been stripped off the building,” he added.

“The single storey building containing the leisure facility has been destroyed, that will have to be knocked down and rebuilt. It contained a swimming pool, gymnasium, hot tubs and gym equipment.”

By Peter Finch