Police called out to empty DWP site Mexford House in Blackpool over neighbour concerns
People are still breaking into empty office building Mexford House in Blackpool, say neighbours - and police were called out to attend.
There are concerns that youngsters could be putting themselves at risk or that the building itself could be at risk of fire, like another ex-office site Warbreck House.
On Sunday evening police attended the Mexford House site after a report that people were inside, and one report cited concerns over a man armed with a knife.
However, police said this was not the case and found no evidence of anyone on the site.
Despite this, one concerned resident said: “People have already been in again and cut the lock. The owner has been notified but still no effort to secure the building unfortunately.”
Another message on Sunday stated: “Armed response has just been due to children saying there is a guy in the building with a knife - it’s all clear thankfully.”
There have been ongoing issues with children getting into the site and concerns for their safety.
Mexford House was home to around 250 staff from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) but has been closed since 2009.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “There was a third-party report of some people inside the building and we have attended and searched and there was no trace. It wasn’t an armed response. “
In June last year, plans to turn the office site into 120 flats were approved.
A new planning application was submitted to Blackpool Council in April for the “use of premises as 120 self contained flats with associated parking, access, bike store and bin store”.
The planning documents showed the building would retain its three floors under the new plans, with each floor containing a variety of flats.
Sam Golding at Gold Sketch Studios, an architecture firm based in Manchester, said: “Our client came to us for our assistance as the council were requesting a Section 106 which can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“We then submitted a prior approval days after the rules changed as they no longer limit the square meterage.
“We were probably one of the first in the country for a scheme of this size, and we got permission granted straight away which is amazing.”