THESE are the remains of a Hampshire hotel after a fire ripped through the property.

Firefighters rushed to Upland Park Hotel in Droxford on Monday after a blaze broke out at the derelict building.

Crews from Droxford, Wickham and Bishop’s Waltham rushed to tackle the fire which engulfed the first floor and roof of the derelict hotel after residents saw columns of smoke coming from the site on Garrison Hill.

The fire, which was also attended by crews from Southsea and Portchester, was brought under control with the aid of an aerial ladder platform, three jets and a hose reel jet, before the scene was cleared at 10.48pm.

Originally built in the 1930s the hotel closed its doors in 2012 and the entire 7.54 acre site was sold to private developer Eider Developments for an undisclosed sum.

Since the sale the site has lain dormant and has become notorious for teenbreak-ins and vandalism, smashing windows and scrawling graffiti on the walls.

The dramatic scenes of crews tackling the blaze were captured by the site’s custodian Tony Holdsworth who helped firefighters gain access to the abandoned hotel to tackle the blaze.

“I hold onto the key for the owners.

It was supposed to come down anyway but it’s in a bad old state now,” he added.

Resident Matthew Hill said: “It was an accident waiting to happen.

“Over the last two to three years there has been a lot of problems with teenagers and other people trespassing on the site.

“An abandoned building is a magnet for that kind of thing.”

“Six months ago the site’s current owner put in gates and barriers to stop people driving in but suspect someone found another way in or simply climbed over the fence.”

Resident Tim Dancer said: “I saw the smoke and thought it was a bonfire at first, but then I saw several fire engines coming up the main road.”

“There has been trouble there before and the police have had to be called,” he added.

Since 2012 there have been several attempts to convert the site into a residential estate.

However, in September, plans were approved which would see the abandoned hotel demolished and the site redeveloped into a holiday park with 22 chalets, facilities building with café and spa.