FIRE fighters are warning people not to put their lives at risk by entering a former club which has been targeted by arsonists twice in the last two weeks.

Four fire crews and an aerial ladder platform were called to the now derelict former British Legion club on Ellison Road, Peterlee, at 7pm tonight.

The blaze caused major damage to a ground floor bar area, and comes less than two weeks after vandals pushed a seat up against the front wall of the boarded up building and set it alight.

Pete McDermott, station manager with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said tonight's blaze is also believed to have been started deliberately.

"It appears that people have been in there and are using it as a playground," he said.

"The building is in a very unsafe condition. People going in there would be putting themselves at risk."