29 July 2011 Last updated at 06:20 ET

Burnt-out Crieff flat 'draws tourists'

Books are still stacked in the shelf on the wall of the destroyed flat

A town centre building left gutted by a fire has become an unlikely draw for photographers.

Clothes store CeeGees and the flat above on Crieff High Street, Perthshire, were destroyed in the blaze on 7 June.

The building was demolished following the fire, but a shelf - complete with books and melted hi-fi - remains fixed to the second-floor wall.

An intact mirror and fireplace also appear suspended above the rubble.

A window with a blind and pelmet - seemingly untouched by the blaze - can be seen on the far wall as well, next to a framed print.

Locals said there was a regular stream of people stopping to take pictures of the strange sight, many of them posting their shots on photo-sharing websites.

The debris from the demolition is expected to be cleared soon

Steve Rodgers, who owns the Pretoria Bar opposite the destroyed building, said: "It's a daily occurrence. You see tourists and locals with their cameras. It's becoming quite an attraction for folk.

"I think it's the mirror above the fireplace that people like."

A man and woman had to be rescued from the flat above the shop during the blaze, which closed the main road through Crieff for several hours.

A local shopworker, who did not want to be named, said it was "upsetting" that the building was being constantly photographed.

He said: "To call it a tourist attraction would not be fair. It's an eyesore on the High Street. It's become quite depressing to look at.

"You can see a bookshelf and mirror still fixed on the wall and I can see why people would take pictures of it. But it's someone's life in ruins. It's sad."

Traffic has remained restricted through the centre of Crieff since the fire almost two months ago because of the debris from the demolition.

A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council said the authority had been informed by the building's owner that the rubble would be cleared soon.