Firefighters from Scarborough and Filey were called to the first fire at the disused stadium in Seamer Road at 7.12pm.

When they arrived they discovered a pile of rubbish had been set on fire inside an old security office.

They used two hoses to put out the blaze which caused severe damage to the inside of the office.

There were three fire engines from Scarborough, including a turntable ladder, and one from Filey and it took more than 30 minutes to combat the fire. Crews were then called back to the stadium at 8.32pm to find a chair on fire in the same office.

Eddie Head, watch manager at Scarborough Fire Station, said: "We would warn people not to start fires like this as they do not appreciate the dangers of fires in buildings. While we're attending incidents such as this it's four appliances that are unavailable for other emergencies."

Cllr Tom Fox, leader of Scarborough Council, said: "It's very disappointing this has happened.

"The responsibility for the security of the ground is firmly with the liquidators. I will be contacting our legal department for them to speak with the liquidators and remind them of their responsibilities."

Mitch Cook, former Boro midfielder and school of excellence director, added: "I had some great times down there and then for this to happen is devastating.

"You drive past every day and you can see how much it is declining – this just topped it all off.

"With the way things were going at the McCain Stadium, it really was an accident waiting to happen."

Scarborough Athletic vice-chairman Ben Courtney said: "It is sad to see that the stadium is being regularly targeted by vandals.

"The main problem of the past 12 months is that the site has been left unsecure, allowing vandalism to increase and the stadium to deteriorate rapidly.

"We at Scarborough Athletic are still hopeful of a return to the stadium in the future. We would like to do so with it still fit for purpose – somewhere which could become a central point for sport in the local community. If this vandalism continues without increased security, that task will prove harder to achieve."

Since the club was liquidated in July last year, the ground has been the property of solicitors Begbies Traynor.

Boro played their first game at the stadium in 1898.

The last game at the McCain Stadium was played by the old Scarborough Football Club in April of last year against Leigh RMI. It was a 1-1 draw.

l Fire crews were called out last night to deal with a blaze in a holiday camp storage barn.

The incident happened at Cliff House Farm, near the Blue Dolphin Holiday Park, at Gristhorpe, at around 11.26pm.

A spokesman for the fire brigade said the roof and contents of the stone built barn were completely destroyed.

Crews from Scarborough and Filey had left the scene by 1.12am.

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