Emergency call-out as young girls climb onto roof of derelict hotel once dubbed 'worst hotel in Britain'

Two young girls sparked a rescue operation after climbing onto the roof of a derelict Blackpool hotel once dubbed 'the worst hotel in Britain'
Emergency services at the New KimberleyEmergency services at the New Kimberley
Emergency services at the New Kimberley

Police, fire services and an ambulance rapid response vehicle were called to the New Kimberley Hotel on New South Promenade at 4pm on Monday after a passer-by spotted the girls at the very top of the old building.

Neither girl was injured and an emergency rescue did not have to be carried out - but police have warned that things could have turned out very differently, as the hotel, which was shut down in 2014, is now extremely dangerous.

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They said: "Any derelict building can be extremely dangerous to anyone that decides to go inside - this includes the person that decides to explore the building as well any emergency services staff that have to attend the incident.

"Within the derelict buildings there's often unstable flooring, large areas of the building without flooring and visibility is often poor resulting in a greater risk of banging into things or falling which may then result in significant injury or even loss of life."

The New Kimberley Hotel was shut down seven years ago after its owner, Peter Metcalf, was found guilty of 15 fire safety breaches.

The place was described by Blackpool Council as 'a death trap'. Smoke alarms had been disabled, fire exits were chained up, and potential fire escape routes were blocked by furniture and metal bed frames.

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Ceilings had collapsed in some parts of the hotel, and only half of the building had water. An illegal electricity supply was also found.

Calling on parents to maintain a keen eye on their children, police added: "If you are a parent or guardian we would like you to talk to your children about this particular issue with a hope that you may be able to educate your children on the dangers of this type of behaviour. Luckily on this occasion these young girls' parents didn't have a knock on the door with the worst news that any parent could ever possibly imagine."

THE NEW KIMBERLEY HOTEL

Prior to its closure, the New Kimberley came under fire for hosting three far-right British National Party (BNP) conferences between 2006 and 2009.

In 2008 it breached a number of food hygiene laws, resulting in a £1,000 fine, and the following year its entertainment and alcohol licence was revoked for failing to comply with health and safety notices.

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Shutting the hotel down in 2014, Alex Bracken, Blackpool Council's housing enforcement manager, said: "I would say it was a death trap. If a fire had broken out, which is highly likely given the conditions in the hotel, it would have actually put the fire team in jeopardy."

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