FIREFIGHTERS are warning that a block of asbestos-ridden derelict flats, now a target for young arsonists, is turning into a death trap.

And residents living near the block in Trenewydd, in the Newtown area of the Ebbw Vale, are calling for it to be demolished following the third fire in recent weeks on Friday afternoon.

They told the Argus that the flats, which have been empty for more than a year, attract gangs of youths who have already smashed all the windows in the three-storey building.

Now the fire service has also expressed fears that a child or a firefighter could be killed if more fires are started there.

Sub-officer Tim Davies, of Ebbw Vale fire station, said: "This is the third time this week we have been to these flats. Youths are getting inside and setting fires maliciously. They are using it as a playground.

"Our concern is for them and for the firefighters who have to go inside and check if any youngsters have been overcome by the fumes."

He added there was asbestos in the building and that all the firefighting equipment taken inside, like breathing apparatus, had to be sent away for decontamination.

Four fire engines and 25 firefighters using a hydraulic platform and breathing apparatus tackled the blaze, which began at 12.30pm on Friday.

Some residents are now so fed up with the situation they say they wished the flats could simply be left to burn. Kevin Williams, a father-of-two who lives close by, said he had been told by Blaenau Gwent council that the flats would be demolished but that still had not happened.

He added youths frequently got into the buildings, smashed glass and made a lot of noise, causing him to fear for his young children's safety. Another resident added: "I don't know why they bother coming to put the fires out. They should just let them burn."

Ebbw Vale South councillor Jen Morgan, who lives nearby, said the flats were due to be demolishedin the spring, but it was hoped they would be pulled down before then.