A Glasgow style bar badly damaged in a suspicious weekend fire has been at the centre of an 18-month dispute over a repair bill totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A Glasgow style bar badly damaged in a suspicious weekend fire has been at the centre of an 18-month dispute over a repair bill totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Documents released this week show Glasgow City Council was forced to slap a £626,000 statutory repair bill on the Victorian tenement block which houses 54 Below.

The authority had been attempting without success to retrieve the money for the works since autumn 2006, when it was forced to carry out emergency repairs after the B-listed building became waterlogged.

Since then roofs, ceilings and cornicing have collapsed, while residents in the properties above the bar have complained of rainwater cascading down walls.

At the time of the water damage, in December 2006, council building control officials described the state of disrepair of the building, at the junction of Argyle Street and Kelvingrove Street, as being in "one of the worst states" they had witnessed.

Last November, residents were issued with 21 days' notice, warning them that unless the money was paid up-front the council would begin the work without their authorisation.

After failing to secure the finances from all eight owners on the block, six residential and two businesses, the council took enforcement action just before Christmas and began repairs, the bill being sent to the property owners once they were complete.

But the pub was badly damaged by fire in the early hours of last Saturday, with detectives confirming that they had launched a full investigation.

The bar was empty at the time of the fire, while the properties above were also vacant, the residents having been decanted when the renovations began in December.

Strathclyde Police said last night that there had been no arrests but that inquiries were ongoing.

The city council said that, despite the fire, the repairs work was still on schedule as most of the building structure damaged in the blaze was being removed anyway.

A spokesman said that only the floors immediately above the bar had been affected, claiming the work remained "straightforward" and that the repairs contract carried an insurance clause.

Last night, the bar's owner, Bubbles Randev, claimed he believed the delay in paying the council for the repairs was the fault of the owners of the residential properties.

But he added: "It's nothing really to do with me. I just own the property and lease it. I've not been trying to sell the property and have never been interested in selling it. All I'm concerned with is collecting the rent for the next 25 years. Our tenants are fully insured and may be entitled to a grant."

Stephen Muirhead, who leases the bar from Mr Randev, added: "To be honest, we just lease the place and it is the landlord who has to deal with the repairs."

The city council has an annual budget of around £3m for statutory repairs to privately owned buildings but has a 500-strong waiting list.

The council spokesman said: "We can confirm the properties have various owners and that it requires extensive work. The difficulty is the building is in multiple ownership.

"Unless all the money is paid, the council takes statutory action, recovering the costs at a later date. Councillors will be informed this week that the cost of the works is £625,834. Property owners can apply for a grant for the works to a maximum of 50%."