FIRE swept through a derelict former school last night, gutting a building and prompting fresh safety fears.

Four fire crews were needed to control the blaze, the latest in a string of fires at the disused Queen's Comprehensive School building (pictured) in Newport.

Three fire appliances from Malpas, Duffryn and Maindee, and a water unit from Cwmbran, were called to the scene in Queen's Hill just before 9.30pm.

A South Wales Fire Service spokeswoman told the Argus that firefighters arrived to find the ground floor and roof of the disused building well alight.

Nobody was hurt in the blaze. The cause is not yet known and fire service investigators were due to return this morning. Inspector Alan Webber, of Gwent Police, said there was extensive damage to the ground floor, first floor and the roof.

"There is a history of problems there with previous fires," he added.

One of the most serious previous incidents was in July 2000 when scores of fire-fighters worked through the night to control a blaze in one of the buildings.

It was severely damaged and the remains of the building were subsequently demolished by Newport council.

Queen's Comprehensive School took over the former Newport High School more than 30 years ago and closed in 1991. It then became home to a training centre but that, too, later closed.

Allt-yr-yn ward councillor Matthew Evans said: "It seems an incredible waste to have a site that is not being utilised.

"A lot of people are not happy about the lack of provision of youth clubs in the area. There are no facilities at all, no where young people can go."

He was also concerned about the safety aspect and the dangers posed by the site. At a cabinet meeting last week, it was reported that there was a restrictive covenant on part of the site, which restricted the use to education but there was a possibility for residential development on the rest of the land.