THE owners of the abandoned Odeon cinema which was set alight in the early hours of Sunday morning have vowed to take “drastic” security measures to prevent it happening again.

BlueMarble Properties is set to give the disused building, in Crouch Street, a £10 million overhaul to convert it into more than 40 apartments.

READ MORE: £10m Odeon plans are GO! Sort of... 

But company boss Matt Ellis has admitted it has been a “constant struggle” to keep the building secure since taking it over last year.

He said: “It was pretty contained to the rear of the building, which we are going to demolish anyway so that isn’t really an issue.

“The main thing is that nobody was hurt.

Gazette:

“Since May, we have had five break ins and every time we have had to go down and re-secure the property.

“There was a small fire earlier this year as well. It is a constant battle.”

He added: “It is always the side entrance they get in. That is the only way they can get in.

READ MORE: Fire in former Odeon cinema was started deliberately

“Through the front would be too obvious.

“We do board it up but obviously we are going to have to change that now and we’re going to have to take a more drastic and substantial permanent approach to security.”

Mr Ellis would not expand on what measures could be put in place.

The director was only made aware of the fire on Sunday morning, when he was contacted by Colchester Council.

Since then, an emergency structural engineer has surveyed the building and it has been declared safe.

He added: “The actual damage is not as bad as you would have thought given there were about 65 firefighters there.

“That building is just full of steel so it would take an absolutely huge fire to make it unsafe in there.

“The fact that the damage is so minimal is a testament to the work of the firefighters.”

A fire investigation found the fire was set deliberately. 

Essex Police has been contacted for comment.