Would-be copper thieves set Crinoline House on fire

Firefighters were called to Crinoline House on Monday after reports of a blaze in the building and found that suspected thieves had started the fire when trying to steal copper cable.

A spokeswoman for Rotherham Borough Council confirmed that it was not the first incident at the disused town centre building, which was the former base of the council’s social services department but was vacated by council staff in April last year.

She added: “Fortunately, we have had very few incidents since the building was closed—one person has been convicted following a burglary earlier this year.

“We are currently reviewing the security of the building in the short to medium term as the building forms part of proposals by developers TCN and will be subject of a development agreement.”