Firefighters called to tackle fire at St Edmund's Hospital in Northampton

St Edmund's Hospital on Wellingborough Road has been empty since 1998. It now looks unlikely a development is going to take place any time soon. Last night there was another fire on the site.

Crews were called to St Edmund’s Hospital in Wellingborough Road shortly before midnight after reports of flames at the abandoned site.

It is believed the fire was in a single room on the top floor.

Crews from the Mounts, Mereway and Moulton attended the scene to douse the small fire quickly.

It marks the latest time emergency services have been called out to the problem site - which is a known hotspot for squatting and drugs use.

In March last year the former hospital buildings were damaged by fire - though shortly after its owners Kayalef Holdings announced plans to build a retirement village on the site.

There looked to be hope as the Cyprus-based company lodged plans to knock down the eyesore structures and build 130 care apartments and a 62-bed specialist care home on the site.

In June 2015 they were approved - providing the developers submitted a document justifying its plans to demolish the Grade II listed former school house and nurses’ home.

Despite hopes this would be a mere formality, the document has never surfaced.