Owners of the old Greenock Arts Guild say a fire at the building was the result of anti-social behaviour

A blaze broke out at the derelict theatre at 8pm on Thursday and Scottish Fire & Rescue Service crews worked until around 9.45pm to extinguish the flames, caused by a small rubbish fire.

Police say they are not treating the incident as a criminal matter.

The Campbell Street building has been lying empty since 2012 when local theatre productions transferred to the Beacon Arts Centre.

The owners, Peel Land & Property, secured permission to demolish it in late 2017, however it is still standing derelict,

Brian Lavalette, Peel L&P’s property director for Scotland, said: "There was a small fire which caused minimal damage at the former Arts Guild Theatre building.

"Emergency services attended the fire, which we believe to have been started as a result of anti-social behaviour on the site.

"At present, the building is vacant and we work closely with the relevant authorities to deter any anti-social behaviour.

"With regards to future plans for the site, we are currently in talks with a number of housebuilders for plans to deliver residential homes for the local community.

"We hope to submit detailed plans to Inverclyde Council in the next six months for the wider six acre site.”

A Scottish Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 8.14pm on Thursday October 22 to reports of a building fire in Greenock.

"Operations control mobilised four appliances to the town's Campbell Street, where firefighters were met by a fire within the building's stairwell.

"Crews extinguished the fire and worked to make the area safe before leaving the scene."