The owner of a derelict mill gutted by fire last night said he had wanted to demolish it for years.
Richard Brown of Spectrum Yarns Ltd was speaking after arsonists set fire to Colne Mill in Slaithwaite town centre.
The blaze on Thursday night destroyed much of the building situated next to the canal and off Britannia Road.
Aldi, the retailer, want to redevelop the site as a major supermarket.
See a video of the scene this morning below
Mr Brown said: "It's bound to be a target isn't it? It needs to come down from a safety point of view whether it is redeveloped or not."
Police and scenes-of-crimes officers were making a fingertip search of the mill this morning with a red petroleum container being removed from the site though it is too early to tell whether that was used in starting the blaze.
The Slaithwaite mill has been subject to many incidents of vandalism and thieves have removed lead from the roof and stolen electric cables.
The smell from the blaze covered most of the village last night with residents able to watch the blaze from a quarter-of-a-mile away.
See a video of the blaze shot by Mark Schofield below
