Former cotton mill had plenty of history

FLASHBACK TO 2009: The Maple Mill fire raged into the night

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

MAPLE Mill has had a chequered history of fires and court cases.

The former cotton mill was converted into a kitchens warehouse and showroom by controversial businessman Vance Miller.

In 2009, 100 firefighters tackled 60ft flames as an inferno destroyed one of two mills at the sprawling site.

An accidental fault with a generator was blamed for the blaze, which saw 28 houses evacuated and the fire continue to burn for weeks.

There have been numerous fires since, with residents labelling it a dangerous eyesore and magnet for vandals that needed to be demolished.

In 2010, Mr Miller and three of his colleagues were cleared of fraudulently ripping off customers in what's believed to be one of the largest trading standards investigations the country has seen.

Oldham Council was left facing the bill for the failure of the multi-million pound fraud trial.

Jailed

But this June, six people were jailed for selling "rubbish" kitchens on behalf of Mr Miller ­- while he remains a free man in the Far East.

Customers lured by a massive online and print advertising campaign forked out thousands of pounds believing they would get a kitchen "good enough for Wayne and Coleen Rooney" but instead they got unusable kitchen units in mismatched shades and when they tried to complain they were abused.

A variety of business names were used to conceal the fact that it was Mr Miller's business selling the cheaply-made Chinese kitchens.

The enterprise was brought down by a trading standards investigation which gathered complaints from 300 angry customers from across the country.