A 140-YEAR-OLD church and a former city nightclub gutted by fire are to be partially demolished to make them safe.

A full assessment of the buildings also found asbestos in the roofing material of the Grade II listed Bethel Community Church, meaning a full environmental clean up of all of the roofing debris will have to take place.

Today (Monday, June 18) fire crews were sent back to the church building after smoke was seen coming from the remains of the roof.

The fire, which started in the Zanzibar nightclub on Friday, June 15, quickly spread to the roof of the church next door.

South Wales Fire and rescue Service responded in force, with 86 firefighters battling the blaze at its height.

Today (Monday, June 18), Newport City council held a multi-agency meeting to discuss the incident.

The council confirmed their building control team and specialist contractors are still working on the site of the fire on Stow Hill, Newport, which is expected to remain cordoned off at least until the rest of the week.

A council spokesman said: "It has been identified that the church’s roofing material contained low grade asbestos and as a result a full environmental clean-up of all roofing debris is taking place.

"This will affect the area around the building and a number of nearby properties/land. Council representatives will be visiting all such properties to inform occupants of the work being carried out.

"This work is expected to take approximately two days but access for building occupants within the extended cordon area will not be affected.

"Work to make the buildings damaged by the fire safe, including partial demolition of the former Zanzibar and Bethel Community Church, will also take place over the coming days and the inner safety cordon will remain in place until such times as the works have been completed.

"Cordons for the affected areas are in place and road closures on Stow Hill will remain in effect for the next four to five days and apply to pedestrians and vehicles.

"We urge the public to respect these cordons as they are there to ensure public safety and enable the work to be carried out as quickly as possible.

"There will be continued discussions with stakeholders and those affected in the area as some temporary evacuations may be necessary during the demolition process.

"Updates will be provided on a regular basis as the work on site progresses."

The council has urged anyone with concerns to contact them on 01633 656656 or by emailing info@newport.gov.uk

A 43 year old man and a 36 year old woman from Newport were arrested by Gwent Police the day after the fire, but today a police spokesman confirmed both have been released under investigation.