A city centre car park which was devastated in a fire could be demolished next month – more than nine months after the blaze.

The multi-storey car park next to Liverpool’s Echo Arena still has 1,191 vehicles inside after the fire on New Year’s Eve, and 1,033 are completely burnt out.

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council said logistical plans to take down the structure had been drawn up, but an agreement needed to be reached with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) about the process of removing personal items from the cars which were not destroyed.

The vehicles cannot be removed before the demolition because of concerns about the strength of the building.

The 1,000C fire was caused after a Land Rover burst into flames.

Motorists abandoned their cars and fled along with 4,000 people who were evacuated as the final event of the Liverpool International Horse Show was called off at the Echo Arena.

The scene inside the car park
The scene inside the car park (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service/PA)

An application for a new car park, funded by a combination of council spending and the insurance payout, is due to be considered next month.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “Working out how to take down the existing car park has been a hugely complex and detailed piece of work which puts public safety first.

“It has been nine months since the fire, and in that time an incredible amount of hard work has gone into coming up with a temporary facility to enable ACC Liverpool to continue functioning as normal but also designing and submitting plans for a new car park.

“We must not forget that it has been a traumatic process for those whose cars were inside and have had to go through the process of negotiating an insurance claim.”