An 18-year-old man has been taken into custody after a major blaze tore through a Grade II-listed Victorian mill in Leek, Staffordshire, leaving the historic six-storey building gutted and prompting the evacuation of nearby residents.
Staffordshire Police confirmed on Saturday morning that the man, who is from Leek, was arrested on suspicion of arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered. He remains in custody while a fire investigation is ongoing.
Emergency services were called to The Big Mill on Mill Street at 9.35pm on Friday evening. Drone footage captured the scale of the destruction, showing flames engulfing the entire structure, with the roof gone and a section of wall collapsed. Smoke was still rising from the ruins the following morning. No injuries were reported.
Road closures were put in place around the site overnight and officers assisted residents who had been evacuated from nearby properties as a precautionary measure. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service urged people to avoid driving in the area and advised those living close by to keep their windows and doors shut.
Local residents described the building as appearing “completely burned out.”
The Big Mill dates to 1860 and holds considerable historical significance. According to Historic England, it stands as one of the earliest large-scale mill buildings in Leek and is considered a notable example of the architectural style developed by William Sugden, the town’s leading mill architect of that era. The building was also an important part of Leek’s silk industry heritage.
The site had been derelict for a number of years and had been the subject of a planning application seeking to convert the building into 55 residential apartments.
Dame Karen Bradley, the Conservative MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, expressed her distress at the loss of the landmark on social media, describing it as a “terrible fire.”
The fire investigation is continuing and enquiries remain ongoing.
