As police enquiries continue into a fire at Leale’s Yard, work is also continuing to prepare for “improved fencing” to go up around the site’s perimeter.

Before the blaze last week, the States Property Unit had already been talking to businesses about installing hoarding and fencing around the derelict industrial land.

Justin Diamond, the States Property Unit’s Head of Operations said the new additions to security around the site will include anti climb paint to stop people getting in.

“While the Leale’s Yard enabling works continue, given the age and condition of the buildings on the site, it’s important to make sure that the site is secured to protect people from risk of injury,” he said. “Since the States of Guernsey purchased the land, we’ve looked at the existing perimeter and agreed that this is not sufficient to mitigate this risk.

Pictured: Some of the access points to Leale’s Yard were closed off with these gates installed in recent years.

“Before this recent incident, we had already agreed for improved fencing and construction hoarding to be put in place to avoid risk of injury to the public, which will be installed in the coming weeks, subject to materials arriving on-island.

“Chain link fencing and hoarding will be installed along the northern boundary with Lowlands Industrial Estate.  Existing hoarding and site entry points will be enhanced on other sides of the site. We won’t place any additional hoarding along private property boundaries as these already form a natural security line and we want to minimise any impacts on neighbours. All hoarding and fencing will be treated with anti-climb paint and appropriate signage will be in place.”

Last week’s fire was in one of the derelict buildings within Leale’s Yard, behind the Bridge.

Pictured: Eye witness Ricardo Emidio shared photos of the fire with Express.

Eye witness reports from those on the scene when the first emergency service crews arrived suggested that they could not initially get access to the area where the fire was.

They did get in though and the fire was out within 90minutes of the 999 calls being made.

Two young people were arrested that same night and Guernsey Police told Express that they were both later released on police bail.

Pictured: A fire engine could be seen in Leale’s Yard from the Bridge, through the access road between the Roll Bar and Hansens.

Leale’s Yard has been ‘derelict’ for decades with very few businesses still using storage units on the site.

It sits at the Bridge end of the Braye du Valle. It would have been under water until the Braye du Valle was reclaimed in 1806.

Now considered to be a ‘brownfield site’, Leale’s Yard was once owned by Mr J Leale who ran a grocery and ironmongery store from the site, with a shop on the Bridge, from around 1835 onwards. His son later took on the business.

By the end of the 1990s Leale’s Yard was a mass of small industrial business and storage units with shop fronts on the Bridge let to different retailers. The Channel Islands Coop bought the site in 1998 for just over £4.6million with a plan to build a new supermarket and housing there.

Numerous plans have been drawn up but nothing more than very basic clearance work has ever taken place.

Last year the States bought most of the site for £4.5m. The Coop retained ownership of some of the land, with both the retailer and the States planning to build housing there.

The States plans to build housing depends on flood defences being improved in the area.