A report has called for urgent refurbishment of an “unsafe” derelict building causing “significant risk” to the public.

The old fire and ambulance station in Calne, which has been a feature of the town for over 135 years, has been vacant for a significant period after falling out of use.

Last year the town council took control of the disused Grade II building from Wiltshire Council and revealed plans for a £250,000 revamp of the site.

At the time it was suggested the space could be brought back into use as a home for community groups in the town.

READ MORE: Historic town building set for £250,000 revamp

The old fire and ambulance station in CalneThe old fire and ambulance station in Calne (Image: Newsquest)

But since then, the building has suffered serious “deterioration” and water ingress, with roof tiles now falling from the building.

A report authored by the town council’s buildings and assets manager has urged councillors to sanction immediate repair work.

It said: “The building is currently in an unsafe condition and presents a significant risk to the council, health and safety, reputational, and financial risk.

“The safety, preservation, and preventative work of the building must be first and foremost in any discussions.

“The impact of not moving forward with the renovation would mean in the future more costs and more materials would be involved.”

A listed derelict buildings specialist has investigated the property and provided a quote of £127,270 to carry out works to prevent further deterioration.

This would involve completely reroofing the building, replacing the existing floor joists and some roof joists, repairing the doors, and boarding up the windows.

The report warned that the building is a danger to members of the public in its current state and would become a financial liability if allowed to deteriorate further.

The old fire and ambulance station in CalneThe old fire and ambulance station in Calne (Image: Newsquest)

It added: “The building poses a high risk to the public as there are now roof tiles freely sliding off the rapidly deteriorating roof.

“The roof structure and the joists of the first floor have been exposed to a significant amount of water over the last 12 to 18 months.

“The financial risk is also stark, do nothing now and face potentially much greater costs in the future.

“The reputational risk to the council is also high as it was the council that fought long and hard to have the building transferred back as one of our assets.

“The public will be looking to see what the future is for the building.”

Councillors are due to discuss the report and decide whether to authorise the works during a full council meeting on Monday, July 29.