Fire hit Isle of Wight Parkbury Hotel was being secured claim

Richard Bendy, of Yarmouth, speaking on behalf of the Parkbury Hotel, claims youths have been running rings around police for years and breaking into buildings daily, causing horrific damage.

A major fire broke out at The Parkbury Hotel at the weekend – an incident which has sparked a joint police and fire service investigation into the exact cause.

The blaze – which saw fire crews from Sandown, Shanklin, Ryde, Newport, Cowes and Ventnor all called to the site on Broadway, Sandown – is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters were called to a report of smoke from the building just before 1am on Saturday and breathing apparatus, jets, hose reel jets and an aerial ladder platform were all used to tackle flames on the second floor and roof space.

Fire crews began to leave the scene at around 5.30am but, in the evening, the Royal Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team attended the site.

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They were called after an aerosol canister with a firelighter attached to it was found in the derelict hotel, police revealed.

Richard, who has worked on numerous Isle of Wight projects, restoring some of the Island’s most historic buildings including Weston Manor, says the damage to the Parkbury Hotel is extensive.

“It’s a complex situation, but a deal has been struck between myself and the liquidators.

“I came here and secured the building, with a view to restoring it.

Richard Bendy outside the Parkbury Hotel. (Image: County Press)

“It was an expensive job; more than £10,000 to board it up.

“I took it on about six weeks ago and the first job was to secure it .

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“I had one more window to do, and they managed to force their way in, pulling it clean out.

“Youths are running riot in Sandown, causing untold damage. They’re methodically wrecking the town.

Richard Bendy says youths pulled this window clean out to access the hotel. (Image: County Press)

Richard Bendy says youths gained acess to the hotel through this window, which has since been boarded up. (Image: County Press)

“Enough is enough, and pressure needs to be bought upon police to tackle this issue right now.

“Only last week, they smashed all the internal doors; threw radiators through windows.

“They must have been in the building around 30 times since I took it on."

“They’re not going to get in through these thick ply windows unless they borrow their parents’ drill."

Richard, who moved to the Island when he was 13, is on a mission to rebuild Sandown, but says that isn’t going to happen "while these kids are at large."

“The roof on one side of the Parkbury Hotel is completely gone, and the rain is just pouring in now," said Richard.

“You can walk in on the ground floor and look straight up."

He said: “The left-hand side of the building is just a stone shell now; it’s a write-off.

“It’s atrocious, it’s dangerous, it puts lives at risk. I was shocked, I didn’t think they would go to that level.

“Three rooms on the other side of the building had already been destroyed during the last fire.

“My plan was to come here, tackle this, then start tackling some of the other buildings in Sandown.

“One by one, before I retire; get on with it and sort Sandown out."

“That still is the plan, but we’re now waiting on the results of the investigation before we can reassess.

“The key is to get these perpetrators. I can’t do anything until we get them, otherwise it’s just money down the drain.

“It’s not insurable while it’s empty. You see all these doom scrollers saying it’s an insurance job; there is no insurance on the building.

“The council need to be proactive."

He said: “You’ve got certain buildings, like the Ocean Hotel, which realistically will never be hotels again.

“The council need affordable housing. My idea would be to produce some affordable housing in Sandown, and that was what I was aiming to do."