A fire broke out at a derelict former wedding venue after a break-in.

Firefighters were called after arsonists broke into the listed Dalton Grange at Rawthorpe last night (Monday).

A crew from Huddersfield Fire Station attended Dalton Grange, off Bradley Mills Road, at 8pm after being called by security.

The old building, which is owned by chemical firm Syngenta, is now boarded up, but authorities say members of the public have been breaking in.

Fortunately, the blaze was confined to one room on the ground floor and was quickly extinguished.

A spokesman for Syngenta said: “We are aware that there was a break-in at the former social club, Dalton Grange premises.

“A small fire was started in what used to be the billiard room.

“Our security systems alerted Syngenta Safety Control and West Yorkshire Fire Service, who attended the scene.

“We shall assess the situation and review our security protocols, which have been in place since the building became unoccupied.

“There are no immediate plans for the building.”

The building was previously home to the now-defunct Dalton Grange Social Club , a club for retired employees of what used to be ICI and Zeneca.

The club, wound up in 2012 after a decline in membership. It has been empty since Mike and Kim Dean, former stewards at the historic mansion house, closed down their wedding venue business.

The couple moved out after Syngenta began legal proceedings to evict them.