Teen arrested over disused Hartlepool Odeon fire as residents remain in temporary accommodation

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a fire at a Grade-II listed former cinema.

Cleveland Police is continuing its investigation into the fire which is believed to have started after 11pm on 5 October and gutted the disused Odeon Cinema, in Hartlepool.

The force confirmed on Thursday a teenage boy had been arrested on suspicion of arson, and has since been bailed.

However, officers said "deliberate ignition has not been confirmed" and the cause of the fire was still yet to be established.

The building remains cordoned off due to significant fire damage and road closures remain in place.

Hartlepool Borough Council said residents evacuated from a number of houses in nearby Joicey Court remain in alternative accommodation.

The authority is "continuing to support the owner of the former Odeon Cinema building".

Structural engineers have now been able to access the building and have confirmed that it remains structurally unsafe.

The buildings listed status means approval for clean up plans may take longer than for a normal building as statutory regulations mean efforts must be made to preserve as much of the heritage as possible.

Whilst this approval is being sought and works carried out, road closures will remain in place on Raby Road, and the end of Young Street and Dent Street.

The former Odeon Cinema which opened as The Majestic in July 1936, received Grade-II listed status in 1985 despite having closed as a Cinema in October 1981.

It was most recently Caesars Palace nightclub which closed in 1999.

The building has stood disused since 1999 with attempts made to remove its listed status in 2023, in order to allow demolition.

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