The building, which sat in the heart of Lochgelly’s town centre, was severely damaged by fire in September. Since then, Fife Council’s building standards and public safety teams have overseen demolition works to remove the risk it posed to residents, businesses and road users.

An exclusion zone, temporary traffic lights and pavement closures were put in place throughout the process to protect the public. These were gradually reduced as the building was made safe and Bank Street fully reopened to traffic before Christmas.

With all demolition work now finished and the site cleared, the remaining safety measures have been removed.

Garry Nicoll,  service manager for building standards and public safety, thanked the community for their patience, he said: “Following the fire, the building was an immediate danger and we had a statutory responsibility to act. I’m pleased to confirm that the unsafe structure has now been completely removed, and the area no longer poses a risk to the public.

“This has been a complex process, and we’re grateful to local residents and businesses for their cooperation over the last few months. With the demolition complete, we’ve now been able to hand the site back to the owners.”

The council’s involvement with the building has now concluded.  Any remaining repairs or remedial work is the responsibility of the relevant building owners and the council will remain available to offer advice.