Fire crew training planned at Bass Maltings in Sleafoerd

Some of the local fire crews are to use the historic industrial buildings for a training exercise from 7pm on Monday October 25.

A fire service spokesman said: “We will be testing our response to a large scale incident in the area.

“We’ll be using smoke machines and there will be several fire appliances in the area, so don’t be alarmed!”

The Bass Maltings have been the focus of at least three major fires over the years, with one causing the collapse of the roofs in some of the blocks.

They currently stand redundant after plans to restore and redevelop them ran into opposition several years ago.