SIX months ago, fire crews trawled Worcester's derelict former St John's Cinema during the early hours of a Saturday morning, fearing people were trapped in the blazing building.

As firefighters donned breathing apparatus to launch their search, shortly after 5am, an ambulance crew stood by and police blocked off the road.

By 6.30, the fire was out and the searchers had confirmed that no one had been found.

As they breathed a welcome sigh of relief, word of the incident spread round the area and two thoughts took root at the front of people's minds.

First, thank God they hadn't pulled a body from the smoke and flames, setting off a grim period of grief and recriminations that such a building could be left open to anyone who cared to venture inside.

Second, having avoided - by nothing more than luck - picking up the pieces of a tragedy, how long before a blanket of flowers spread across the pavement told of a family left in mourning?

It seems incredible that, six months on, Worcester MP Mike Foster finds himself voicing the same kind of concerns.

It's equally worrying that Worcester City Council has only been prompted to alert site-owner Sainsbury's to the perilous condition of the building after hearing of Mr Foster's concerns.

And it's positively frightening that the supermarket giant claims the premises are "regularly inspected", yet has done nothing to stop anyone entering the building and triggering a tragedy.

We trust that won't be long in changing.