7 September 2010 Last updated at 05:04 ET

Fire damages club where Ringo Starr had Beatles debut

The roof of the building in Southport was partially destroyed in the fire

About 50 firefighters spent the night tackling a fire at a disused Southport nightclub where drummer Ringo Starr made his Beatles debut in 1962.

All three floors of the former Kingsway club on Coronation Walk were alight when crews arrived on Monday night.

At its height, 12 appliances were in attendance to tackle flames shooting from the roof and windows.

One wall partially collapsed during the incident but the fire was brought under control in the early hours.

'Very dramatic'

However, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said some crews remained at the disused nightclub on Tuesday morning.

Kingsway remains closed off between the Promenade and Garrick Parade. The building needs to be made safe before experts can go in to inspect the damage.

Fire crews brought the fire under control in the early hours

Andrew Brown, who lives nearby, told the BBC that a crowd of people gathered to watch the fire on Monday night.

"The fire really took hold of the top floor and the third floor wall collapsed on to the road outside, [drawing] a lot of gasps from the crowd," he said.

"It was very dramatic. The fire was really ripping through the building. They [fire crews] are incredibly brave.

"They were going in, keeping people back and tackling the blaze as best they could."

The Kingsway has been earmarked for demolition as part of a £9m scheme to develop a hotel, shops and flats.