Video shows former Leeds rugby club ablaze as police launch arson investigation

Fire crews were called to the former home of Middleton Marauders ARLFC on Acre Road at around 9.30pm on Thursday, June 27.

-> Ref abandons Middleton Marauders gameFour or five young people were reported to have been involved in starting the fire, West Yorkshire Police said.

Officers attended but the young people had run off.

The incident is being treated as arson.

The clubhouse building has been empty for some years and has fallen into a state of disrepair and been repeatedly vandalised.

Middleton Community Group teamed up with local councillors in 2013 to try to turn the building into something for residents.

And a petition was set up at the end of 2018, calling on Leeds City Council to give the building over to the New Middleton Football Club.

Middleton Park councillors Judith Blake, Paul Truswell and Kim Groves, said: “After the previous users vacated the building it took some time to come into the council’s possession because permission was needed from the Big Lottery Fund to make the transfer.

"At that point the building was already in an extremely bad and vandalised state internally and the costs of bringing it back into use were huge due to the damage and the defective boiler, plumbing and electrics.

"These costs ran into tens of thousands of pounds.

“As ward councillors we tried to find a future for the building by working with local organisations over many years, but unfortunately no one came up with a sustainable plan to cover the substantial cost of repairs and future running costs of the building.

"We will continue to work with local groups and organisations with the aim of improving provision in the local area.”

-> In pictures: Historic Middleton - the Leeds suburb powered by coalWest Yorkshire Police said: "Anyone who saw the youths in the area or who has any information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact officers via 101 quoting crime reference 13190325914."