CHILDREN are putting their lives at risk by starting fires inside a disused pub, firefighters warned today.

Youngsters are believed to have set fire to the Commercial Hotel in Blackburn Road, Church, at 3am today, causing parts of the ceiling to collapse.

The pub has been repeatedly vandalised since it closed 18 months ago following a police investigation into the death of a man who was assaulted while drinking there.

Station officer Andy Taylor of Accrington fire station said: "Anyone who goes into derelict buildings like the Commercial is putting themself at risk. There are holes in the floor, loose wiring and nails sticking up out of the floor."