THE Irish owner of a torched nightclub flew to Merseyside yesterday to witness at first hand the devastation caused by the 12-hour blaze.

Firefighters spent the morning extinguishing the last pockets of fire following the huge inferno, which ripped through the iconic Kingsway club, in Southport, on Monday night.

The nightspot, famed for hosting the Beatles’ first concert as the Fab Four, was set to be torn down, council bosses confirmed last night.

Kevin Hegarty, director of the derelict building’s owners Woodthorpe Homes, flew from Dublin to inspect the damage.

He vowed to press on with a £9m plan to redevelop the decrepit Promenade landmark as a hotel, apartment and retail complex.

The firm, which bought the site in late 2007, had been in discussions with Sefton Council to submit a fresh planning application imminently to rebuild the site.

It had previously applied to demolish the building, which lies within a conservation zone, citing expert reports that it was “structurally unsafe”, but later withdrew the application.