A MAJOR fire at a disused mill in Bradley will not alter plans for its conversion, according to developers Novo Homes.

Skipton firefighters were called to the blaze at the former cotton mill, known locally as Fray Mill, just before midnight last Tuesday.

They arrived to find smoke pouring from the second floor windows and roof.

Two more pumps were requested from Silsden and Harrogate and firemen wearing breathing apparatus entered the smoke logged building.

With visibility down to zero they used Skipton's new thermal imaging camera to locate the fire.

Richard Bacon, station officer at Skipton, told the Herald: "Because of the speed with which the camera located the fire it was prevented from spreading into the roof."

It took the firefighters an hour to bring the blaze under control, but they were there until 5am damping down and making the building safe.

The fire, believed to have been started deliberately, originated in what used to be an office in the mill and which was almost destroyed.

Other parts of the mill also suffered from both fire and smoke damage.

However, the building's owners, Carleton-based Novo Homes, who have planning permission to convert the old mill and surrounding site into 26 dwellings, say the fire has not altered their plans and they aim to start work in 12 to 18 months as planned.

"As far as we are concerned we are going to carry on as normal and our future plans with the building are not affected," said site manager Andy Phillips.

The nineteenth century cotton mill was home to Fray Design for 16 years until the company moved out about 12 months ago.

The furniture design company owned by Barry and Elaine Fray decided to amalgamate all three of its sites at Bradley, Snaygill Industrial Estate and Airedale Business Park into one site and the latter premises were extended to accommodate the move.

The mill itself started life in 1860 after a committee of Bradley workers formed a co-operative.

The co-operative gained financial help from local farmers and workers who became shareholders.

When the co-operative failed the building was sold to the Green family who ran the mill for more 100 years before it was eventually bought by the Frays.

The power to the looms was supplied by a steam engine with a flywheel which is being restored by David Arnfield, an enthusiast from Manchester who took it back to his Whitfield home to complete work on it.