WATCH firefighters tackle a fire that destroyed the former White Hart pub in Blackwood

A POPULAR former pub has been demolished after a deliberate fire gutted the derelict building over the weekend.

Fire fighters tackled a blaze at the former White Hart pub in Blackwood on Saturday evening, with several crews in attendance.

But today, the damaged building caught fire again, prompting a demolition by the building’s owners.

Firefighters at the scene on Monday

A spokesman for South Wales Fire and Rescue said: “The fire started on Saturday but there was a hot spot that sparked up on Monday which fire crews attended.

“The fire is still being classed as a deliberate ignition but we have no way of knowing how the fire was started.”

He added: “We have left the White Hart in the hands of the responsible person and contractors have levelled the site and are now looking to remove the rubble.”

A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council added: “The demolition was not carried about by CCBC.

“The owners have been in touch to notify the council of the damage but commissioned their own demolition.”

When the blaze broke out on Saturday, at around 8pm, “thick black smoke” filled Newbridge Road, with Gwent Police cordoning off the road and telling residents to close their doors and windows.

The blaze was extinguished by midnight.

Kate Simmonds, 35, of Maesgwyn, lives opposite the White Hart and was watching television on Saturday when she noticed the “smell of smoke.”

She said: “I couldn’t see outside because of how thick the smoke was and it was coming through our windows.

“It could have killed us as afterwards I blew my nose and it was just all black.”

She added: “The White Hart has been derelict for two years but used to be the heart of the community and people would come to it from miles around.

Suzie Jones,28, of Strathview, added: “The smoke was insanely impossible to see through and I couldn’t see the bus stop outside my own house.

“It absolutely stunk and my pyjamas still have the smell of the smoke on them from that night.”

The former pub on Newbridge Road, was used by residents of Newbridge and Pontllanfraith and councillors have spoken of the “loss” caused by the arson.

Cllr Gez Kirby, of Pontllanfraith ward, said: “It is a great shame because in its time it was a popular pub and many members of the community are very upset about it being vandalised and destroyed like this.”

A spokesperson for Gwent police has confirmed that they are treating the fire as “deliberate” and that “further enquiries are ongoing.”