Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Kathleen Speirs

Disused UWS Paisley campus building to be demolished after being torched by firebugs

Police are hunting firebugs in Paisley who torched a university campus building, which now must be demolished.

Several buildings at the University of the West of Scotland's Robertson Campus in the town's Caplethill Road, went up in flames on Sunday evening.

Fire crews were called around 7pm and police are treating the 'large-scale' blaze as 'wilful fire raising'.

UWS chiefs later told Glasgow Live that the buildings affected are disused and 'previously designated for disposal, demolition and redevelopment'.

Police did not confirm the exact buildings that were set alight.

READ MORE: Glasgow man charged with illegally streaming SPFL matches at home

Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Police Division also confirmed that the structures were left 'in a dangerous state' and need to be demolished.

No injuries have been reported at this stage.

Anyone with information that could help with their probe into the blaze is urged to come forward.

Sign up to Glasgow Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox.

A force spokesperson said: "Police in Paisley are appealing for information regarding a wilful fire-raising at UWS Robertson Campus, Caplethill Road, Paisley which happened on Sunday, June 12 around 7pm.

"The large-scale fire has caused the buildings to be left in a dangerous state requiring them to be demolished.

"Anyone who has information in relation to this incident is asked to contact Paisley CID on 101, quoting incident number 2641 of June 12.

"You can also contact Crimestoppers to pass on information anonymously on 0800 555 111."

UWS bosses also confirmed the demolition and revealed that the site is 'covered by CCTV'.

A spokeswoman told Glasgow Live: “We can confirm that a fire in a disused building in an area of the Thornly Park campus, which has previously been designated for disposal, demolition and redevelopment, has occurred.

“The site is covered by an extensive 24-hour CCTV network which is continually monitored, in addition to regular on-foot campus patrol checks.

"This is what alerted UWS staff and the relevant authorities to the incident as soon as possible.

“Following the incident, we have been working closely with the Council and our insurers to determine next steps for the disused buildings on the site, in advance of the proposed redevelopment.

"We can confirm that the disused buildings will be safely demolished by a specialist local contractor in line with best practice as soon as possible.

"Police and fire enquiries remain ongoing and as such we cannot comment further on the detail of this incident."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.