STAFF are 'eager' to get back into a shop which was set on fire earlier this month after a flaming bin was pushed into the rear of the store.

CGX bosses said a detailed survey has been carried out on the building but the results will need to be known before they instigate repair works, which could involve plumbers, electricians and builders.

And staff are dealing with customers' concerns through the Facebook page and are said to be eager to get back to work as soon as it is safe.

The process has been slowed down by the number of stakeholders involved, as CGX, the building owners and the insurance company have co-operated to ascertain the extent of the damage.

The shop is currently too dangerous for staff to use and the second floor of the building cannot be accessed.

The fire, which happened in the early hours of Sunday October 2, engulfed the upper floors of the property.

A cordon was in place on Dalton Road restricting access to the block of shops immediately adjacent to CGX.

An eyewitness described people removing what looked like shelving from the back of the CGX shop.

The shop carried customers' inventory at the time of the fire but CGX has said that stock was all safe as the ground floor was spared the worst of the blaze.

Residents and councillors were left infuriated by the incident in the town centre which has already seen a spate of vandalism in recent weeks and months.

Councillor Anne Burns said decision makers and residents needed to 'get our heads together and see how we can stop all of this vandalism that is taking place in the town centre'.

She said: "It is frightening to think that it could have burnt a whole building down or put somebody’s life in danger.”