A heritage campaigner has been carrying out nightly patrols outside a derelict listed building – which he fears could become another heritage asset lost to fire.

Roger Warrilow, chair of Leek & District Civic Society, is calling on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council to secure the former silk warehouse in Silk Street, Leek.

The privately-owned Grade II listed building has been out of use for many years and is now in an extremely poor condition, with a partially collapsed roof and smashed windows.

Mr Warrilow says it is very easy to get inside the building, and he fears that it could soon meet the same fate as Leek's Big Mill, which had to be demolished following a devastating fire last month.

He has been monitoring the building every evening since last Thursday, when he called the police after seeing a group of teenagers in the back of the property.

The council insists that it has been taking steps to protect the building, including serving notices on the owners.

Mr Warrilow said: "I've been raising this with the council for years. All they need to do is make the building secure. They can do that, the law is on their side, but they haven't done it. It's a much smaller building than Big Mill so it wouldn't take much work to make it secure.

"The building hasn't been used in years and it's been allowed to deteriorate. There's broken glass outside and the drain pipes have come off.

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"Children have been able to get inside the building and cause further damage. There's lots of wood inside so all it would take is for someone to drop a match and the building would go up in flames."

Derelict former warehouse in Silk Street, Leek (image via Roger Warrilow)

The warehouse, which dates back to the mid-19th century, is part of a larger listed building which also includes two former houses on Stockwell Street. One of houses was occupied by a dental practice until last year, while the other is currently in use as a restaurant.

Mr Warrilow fears that if the warehouse did catch fire, it could spread to the houses and other neighbouring buildings, potentially putting lives at risk.

He added: "In theory it could spread all the way down the street. The restaurant is part of the same building, and there's a building on the other side of the street just eight feet away that would also be in danger.

"I'm not going to let this go until the building and the public are safe."

A scheme to turn the warehouse into three three-bedroom homes received planning permission and listed building consent in 2024, but has yet to go ahead.

The council says it is looking at serving further notices on the owners of the building, and advises Mr Warrilow against monitoring the site himself overnight.

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A council spokesperson said: "Like Mr Warrilow, the council does not want to see another situation like Big Mill. We too are saddened by the recent events. 16-18 Stockwell Street/2 Silk Street, like Big Mill, is a privately owned Listed Building.

"We have certainly not been inactive as Mr Warrilow suggests and have spoken to him directly about what we can and cannot do.

"We ourselves have had issues contacting the owners of these properties, but we are currently in discussion with our building control service about notices they have served on them and are in the process of serving notices under the Town & Country Planning Act and Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990.

"We certainly hope Mr Warrilow will refrain from putting himself at risk by monitoring the building overnight, particularly as we have also been in touch with Historic England and Staffordshire Police regarding this site."