North Wales Police, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Denbighshire County Council are working in partnership to tackle deliberate fires which are being set in the former North Wales Hospital site in Denbigh.

Officers are warning people of the dangers of entering the derelict building and are urging them to think about the consequences of having fires at the former hospital site.

Insp Gareth Jones stated: “We are appealing to anyone in the locality who may have seen someone acting suspiciously in the grounds of the hospital following the latest incident last night, Monday 6^th February.”

“Valuable resources are being tied up by people who have entered the building and started deliberate fires. Fortunately no-one has been injured as yet, but there could be serious consequences - not only is there a risk to the individuals involved, but also the officers attending could sustain serious injuries.”

“People need to be educated about the dangers of entering this building before someone is seriously hurt or worse.  We have stepped up patrols and are asking the local community to inform us immediately if they see any suspicious behavior.” 

Stuart Millington, Senior Fire Safety Manager, said: “Deliberate fires are extremely worrying for the fire and rescue service as they put the lives at risk and take up valuable resources that could be needed at other incidents. We are working closely with North Wales Police and other partner agencies in the area to try and tackle this issue.”

Councillor David Smith, Denbighshire’s Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: “We are truly saddened to hear about Monday night’s fire and the fact it was started deliberately beggars belief. 

 “Officers from the Council visited the site this morning (Tuesday), along with the emergency services as part of their fire investigation and to assess the damage.

 “The Council and its partners have made several public appeals recently for people to keep away from the site, as parts of the structure are dangerous and there have been a number of incidents of arson at the location.

 “We also want to protect the buildings from further damage and deterioration and the fact that people enter the site and deliberately start fires is of extreme concern to us. They are not only putting their own lives at risk, but also the future of this historic building.  

 “The site remains in the ownership of an off-shore company at this moment in time, but the Council has been involved in a long running campaign to secure ownership of the land, to preserve the main range historic buildings on the site and to bring about a significant heritage led regeneration project in this part of North Wales. 

 “That commitment remains, but deliberate incidents such as this latest fire put the safety of the building in further jeopardy. This behaviour needs to stop”.

Anyone who saw anything or anyone in the area of the site last night is asked to contact PC 2934 Aiden Berry at Denbigh Police Station on 101 quoting reference RC17017512. Alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or contact the control room direct via the new web live chathttp://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/chat-support.aspx