FRESH calls for a Grimethorpe building to be brought back into use have been made this week after yet another arson attack.

Dorbren House, on Cemetery Road, has been derelict since 2012 and was set alight last Friday afternoon.

An investigation has been launched by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, which is treating the incident as deliberate, while Royston-based police officers will carry out more foot patrols around Grimethorpe to deter more incidents.

No use has been found for the building, which was used as a GP surgery until 2009, following a series of failed bids to give it a long-term use and it has since fallen into yobs’ hands.

Shafton Parish Council chairman Dave North, who grew up in the village, said Dorbren House was an ‘eyesore’.

“It’s a big building and it should be brought back into use,” he added. “There’s very little in Grimethorpe as it is so to have a venue which holds a lot of potential stood empty is wrong.

“It’s been like it for a long time and it’s constantly being set on fire or used as a dump-it zone for people. It’s such a shame it’s like it is.

“It would not be allowed to happen in Cudworth. I’m over the moon the Miners’ Welfare Sports Ground is being taken over as that has been another eyesore in recent years, but a use must be found for Dorbren House.”

The building has been on Grimethorpe’s crime and safety group’s agenda throughout 2017 and the latest incident will be discussed at their next meeting in January.

A Cemetery Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said he reported the latest incident and praised fire crews for their quick response.

“It’s dangerous as properties are very close to Dorbren House,” he said. “Last week’s fire was very serious and I’m concerned that if they set the rubbish alight which is always in the building’s yard, that could spread.

“We’re fed up of living next to such an eyesore. It’s been like it for years and in many ways it reflects the current state of the village.

“There’s a rat problem in the summer because of the litter, it’s easy for people to get into and obviously that’s another danger as it must be in a terrible state inside.”

A spokesman from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “We can confirm we attended Dorbren House at around 3pm last Friday, with appliances from Cudworth and Dearne stations.

“We left an hour or so later and when we arrived we found the first floor was well alight, with flames coming from the windows. We are treating this as a deliberate act.”