Central Motorway road restrictions remain in place following Carliol Square fire

A lane of the Central Motorway remains closed following a large fire in June. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Police investigations at the site of a city centre fire are continuing.

Road restrictions are also still in place on the Central Motorway in Newcastle, with no date announced for its full reopening.

Newcastle City Council has confirmed it has not yet been able to begin the process of tearing down the former For Your Eyes Only club in Carliol Square, which was severely damaged by a fire on 28 June.

The huge scale of the fire and the damage caused to the disused building meant that the northbound carriageway of the Central Motorway had to be completely shut for more than a week due to safety concerns.

Smoke could be seen billowing across Newcastle and Gateshead after a fire broke out in a disused building in Carliol Square. Credit: Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service

One of its two lanes reopened on Friday 7 July, with a 30mph speed limit in place – but, 10 days later, there has been no change.

Newcastle City Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service on Monday afternoon that Northumbria Police remain in control of the burnt-out club site, which they have to hand over to the local authority before any demolition work can begin.

The council pledged that it would “not delay” in returning the Central Motorway to normality once it is considered safe to do so.

Pamela Holmes, the council’s interim assistant director of transport, said: “The city council is continuing to work closely with the police who remain in control of the site. Once their enquiries are complete the site will pass to the city council, and we will begin the process of demolishing the building in liaison with its owners.

“Traffic is flowing freely along the partially reopened carriageway, but we will not delay in reopening the rest of the Central Motorway once it is safe to do so. I would like to thank motorists for their patience and cooperation – it really is appreciated. We will do everything we can to restore normality.”

Northumbria Police has previously said it is treating the cause of the fire as suspected arson. Eight people arrested in connection with it have been released on bail.

Up to 50 firefighters were tackling the fire at its height. Credit: Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service

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