£20,000 bill to repair arson-ravaged centre

The damaged Sholver Youth and Community Centre.

AN ARSON attack on Sholver Youth and Community Centre will cost £20,000 to repair.

As revealed in Thursday’s Chronicle, arsonists went on the rampage through Sholver in the night leaving the centre badly damaged.

They set fire to the roof of the Sholver Lane building at 3am, and set fire to rubbish and a wheelie bin at flats on Swift Road at 4am and at Poynter Walk at 5.30am. Police are still trying to track down the culprits.

Work began on repairing the centre on Thursday and it was expected to reopen today.

Councillor Kay Knox, Oldham Council cabinet member for children, young people and families said: “The damage was concentrated on the outside of the building and the roof with smoke damage inside and it is expected to cost around £20,000 to put right.

“This is a mindless act of vandalism on a very popular local facility that has just been refurbished and is in daily use by many groups.”

Firefighters believe the fires were started by the same people. They managed to stop the blaze spreading from the centre’s roof and causing more damage.

At Swift Road, rubbish was set alight at the entrance to the flats but no-one was hurt as firefighters contained the blaze.

At Poynter Walk, a wheelie bin was pushed into a doorway and set alight. The fire could have been deadly as, while the flats are mostly empty, they do have occupants on the top floor — but one managed to put the flames out before firefighters made it safe.

Councillor Knox added: “If anyone has any information about these fires I would ask them to call the police on 0161-872 5050 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”