A FORMER community centre in Poole, left vacant for four years, has been gutted by fire.

Shocked onlookers saw the Turlin Moor Community Centre, Turlin Road, engulfed by flames in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Some 45 fire fighters from five stations battled the blaze just after 1am. It was largely contained in the front single-storey section, where the roof was destroyed. There was also some fire damage to the rest of the building.

Police are treating the blaze as suspicious. One youth from the Poole area was arrested on Sunday morning.

The once-thriving centre, which used to serve meals and host events and activities, was forced to close in 2003 after repeated vandalism.

Michael Collyer, councillor for Hamworthy West, used to help run it.

He said: "It is such a crying shame. I felt sick to my stomach watching it go up.

"People spent hours and hours in there renovating it, and money raised by the local community bought a lot of the equipment. To see all that going up in flames was absolutely gutting."

Coleen Mills, who saw the fire from her home on Russell Gardens, said it had become a well-known hang out for teenagers.

She said: "The other day I saw the boards on the windows had been torn out. Kids were in and out of there all the time."

The site is due to be redeveloped with housing and a new community centre after residents supported the plans in a ballot last October.