Plans to demolish Liverpool fire-ravaged car park

A multi-storey car park destroyed in a huge fire could be demolished next month with more than 150 undamaged cars trapped inside.

The blaze engulfed Liverpool Waterfront car park in King's Dock, next to the Arena and Convention Centre, on New Year's Eve 2017.

More than 1,000 cars were completely burnt out in temperatures reaching 1,000C, said Liverpool City Council.

Plans to take down the structure have been drawn up for October.

The fire - one of the worst ever dealt with by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service - started when a Land Rover burst into flames, igniting other vehicles.

Motorists abandoned their cars and fled along with 4,000 people attending the Liverpool International Horse Show at the Echo Arena.

Temperatures during the blaze reached 1,000C - equivalent to flowing lava - far higher than the previous estimate of 600C, a council report confirmed.

Nearly all 1,200 cars inside were completely destroyed although 150 that survived cannot be removed because of safety concerns, said a council spokesman.

An agreement must be reached with the Association of British Insurers about the process of removing personal items from the cars which were not destroyed, he added.

An application for a new £26m car park, funded by a combination of council spending and the insurance payout, is due to be considered next month.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said: "Working out how to take down the existing car park has been a hugely complex and detailed piece of work which puts public safety first.

"It has been nine months since the fire, and in that time an incredible amount of hard work has gone into coming up with a temporary facility to enable ACC Liverpool to continue functioning as normal but also designing and submitting plans for a new car park.

"We must not forget that it has been a traumatic process for those whose cars were inside and have had to go through the process of negotiating an insurance claim."