The Crooked House pub was reduced to rubble on Monday
By Vanessa Pearce
BBC News, West Midlands
The demolition of a landmark pub following a fire was “unnecessary and unacceptable”, a council said.
The Crooked House, near Dudley, once known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub”, was gutted by fire on Saturday night and demolished on Monday.
Potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act are being investigated, said South Staffordshire Council.
The council has referred the matter to its legal team with a view to taking enforcement action.
Officers had visited the site and agreed a programme of works with the landowner’s representative, the leader of the council explained.
Image source, PA Media
The Crooked House was gutted in the fire
“At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary.”
The way the situation was managed following the fire was “completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers,” said Roger Lees.
The Health and Safety Executive had been notified of any breaches, he said.
The authority’s investigation was at an early stage, he said, and asked for time to ensure any future actions were “meaningful and proportionate”.
“The council is incredibly saddened by the loss of the building which, whilst not listed, was a heritage asset and important landmark to the local area and community.”
On Sunday, the exterior of the building was left standing, but within 24 hours, it was reduced to rubble
Fire gutted the celebrated 18th Century building, on Saturday night, leaving just the exterior standing. It was built as a farmhouse but started to subside during the early 19th Century, thanks to mining in the area. It then became a pub people used to go to witness the illusion of coins and marbles appearing to roll uphill along the bar.
But on Monday afternoon, residents and former customers gathered at the site to see a large pile of rubble where the pub once stood.
A video shared on social media showed a digger knocking down the landmark pub.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.
