Firefighters have tackled a fire at an empty County Durham school once used as a film set for the ITV crime drama series Vera.
The blaze at the former Bluebell Meadows Infant School in Trimdon Grange comes amid concerns about young people getting onto the premises which has been sealed.
The school, previously known as Trimdon Grange Infant School, has been empty since three local schools were merged because of a fall in numbers.
Firefighters were called to the incident shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday. Two fire engines from Peterlee arrived to find an outbuilding well alight.
The fire was brought under control and extinguished but the structure was severely damaged. Police were on the scene and the cause of the fire is being investigated.
There was much excitement in the village when film crews moved into the school, to create part of the much-loved ITV crime drama, starring BAFTA-winning Brenda Blethyn as the savvy mac-wearing detective
Durham County councillor Lucy Hovells said today (Sunday): "The building that caught fire was the outside building in the school grounds which was used as a storage facility. 
"There have been several incidents at the school in terms of young people climbing on the building and creating a nuisance. There is security in the building and it's all sealed off.
"It is a blight on the environment. The building is up for sale and the council is proactively working to bring it back into use. A security firm has been looking after it, in the meantime.
"It has been empty for about a year now - since the three schools merged into one (because there weren't enough pupils to keep them all open.
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"Vera has been filmed there. It has been used for that activity. It's a nice old building. There were plans, when it first became empty, to put housing in there, but people who lived nearby objected. That's why we've been left with it the way is. We are trying to compromise."
Durham Police have been contacted for information.
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