Blaze destroys bowls clubhouse

DEVASTATION . . . members watched on as Diggle Bowling Club’s clubhouse went up in flames last night

HELPLESS members of Diggle Bowling Club watched in horror last night as their clubhouse was burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack.

One of the cabins used for storing equipment at the Ward Lane club was gutted as flames reached high into the sky.

Members drinking in the near-by Hanging Gate pub could do nothing but watch as firefighters from Oldham and Mossley spent three hours trying to defuse the blaze from 10.30pm.

Landlady Sharon Tyrer said: “One of the lads playing pool saw flames and thought someone might have been having a bonfire. Everyone ran outside when they realised it was the club. You could see flames coming from the building, it was horrible.

“A lot of the regulars play bowls for the club and it was just terrible to watch, people were panicking because some of them had things stored there.”

Firefighters suffered a setback when their hose detached from the water supply sending it spewing into the air.

Sharon said: “Water shot up into the air like a fountain and was turning into ice when it hit the ground.

“People were skidding on the road and the poor firefighters were trying to re-attach it in the freezing cold.

“The whole atmosphere was of disbelief. People take great pride in that club and are trying to build a community, that has now been destroyed.”

Part of the neighbouring cabin, used as a cafeteria, was also damaged during the blaze.

Firefighters said the fire was likely to have been started deliberately.