Factory demolition site fire 'arson'

A low loader was set alight at the site

A contractor involved in demolition work at a landmark Londonderry building has said a fire at the site was an arson attack carried out by people demanding protection money.

Two Yellow Goddess fire engines dealt with the fire at the Tillie and Henderson demolition site on Tuesday.

Work began on knocking down the derelict 19th century factory earlier this month.

A low loader worth about £10,000 was set alight and attempts were also made to set fire to a digger.

A vacant hostel for homeless women was also damaged in the fire

A vacant hostel for homeless women next to the site suffered slight damage.

Demolition contractor Joe Strawbridge, who owns the damaged equipment, said his diggers were damaged on the first night he left them at the site.

He said a man assured him that "he could look after it".

"In the end, we couldn't pay him. There was too much money attached to his figures - £1,000 a week in cash. It's beyond a joke", he said.

Sinn Fein has condemned the demand for protection money.

Councillor Peter Anderson described the people who extort money from contractors as "gangsters and hoods".

The decision to demolish the listed building after it was badly damaged in a series of arson attacks caused an outcry.

Its owner said his insurers were going to withdraw public liability insurance cover, leaving no alternative but to knock down the building.

The former shirt factory dominated the cityside end of the Craigavon Bridge at Carlisle Square.

The building, which was erected in 1856, was seen by many as a symbol of Derry's textile industry, which dominated employment in the city for almost 140 years.