Campaigners guarding Britain’s wonkiest pub lock away its bricks after some were advertised on Facebook for £50
- The fire on August 5 is being treated as a suspected arson attack by police
Supporters of the Crooked House pub which was destroyed in a suspected arson attack last month have resorted to locking away its bricks after visitors to the site were seen taking them away to sell on Facebook for as much as £50 each.
Around 200 people, including the area’s MP, reportedly turned out on Saturday to watch the rubble being packed onto pallets and placed in a shipping container, before it was safely locked to avoid any more thefts.
The pub, which held the title of the wonkiest pub in Britain, is loved by campaigners who have pledged to rebuild it ‘brick by brick’ after a huge blaze gutted the entire establishment on August 5.
Two people were later arrested by police and bailed after it emerged the fire was being treated as a suspected arson attack.
More than 25,000 bricks were said to have been saved over the weekend after campaigners became disgusted upon finding them for sale on eBay and Facebook Marketplace.
Bricks, allegedly from the Crooked House pub, are being sold on Facebook for as much as £50 each
It is thought around 25,000 bricks have been saved after campaigners locked them away securely
The pub was left completely ablaze in the fire, which authorities have since said is a suspected arson
Supporters were outraged after the burnt-out pub was completely demolished just two days after the fire, with hundreds of people travelling to visit the wreckage themselves.
But not all of them were there to mourn the pub, instead taking bricks, pieces of the pub’s sign and other memorabilia to sell online.
One post on Facebook Marketplace read: ‘House bricks from the crooked house. Have around 60 first come first served. £50.’
A second said: ‘Bricks from the former Crooked House pub. Clean ones £10. Extra £2.50 for the ones with soot on. Extra £5 for warm ones.’
Letters from the Crooked House’s sign were also allegedly removed from the site – with the C finding its way onto Facebook Marketplace within just a few hours.
The posted put the price as £1,111,111 and invited users to ‘make me an offer’.
Campaigners branded the posts as ‘abysmal’ and said: ‘Whoever is buying these things should be ashamed of themselves.’
One added: ‘People obviously profiteering from this with no thought on the actual situation! How selfish and sad.’
READ MORE: Workers search through the rubble of Britain’s wonkiest pub after police probing Crooked House ‘arson’ arrest two men
The sales even caught the attention of local MP Marco Longhi, who has advocated for the rebuilding of the pub in the House of Commons.
Posting on social media, he shared photos of himself while the bricks were being secured.
‘What a great weekend it has been,’ the MP wrote. ‘I was extremely happy to see so many bricks being salvaged from The Crooked House site.
‘The hard work starts now: I am monitoring closely the work by South Staffordshire District Council and the Police, and I will be making sure that they continue with their process without slowing down.
‘Parliament is now back from recess and I am already making ‘manoeuvres’ to make sure that legislation is changed.’
The bricks were secured several weeks after reports of sales first emerged – but until last week, specialist investigative teams were still sifting through the rubble.
One seller posted a photograph of the pub’s C from its sign at the site of the wreckage, telling buyers to ‘make me an offer’
Campaigners have staged protests at the pub against its demolition as they call for it to be rebuilt
The wreckage of the pub was demolished without the council’s permission
Campaigners had hoped to restore the pub after it was completely gutted in the blaze
Staffordshire Police said in a statement that a 66-year-old man from Dudley and a 33-year-old man from Milton Keynes had been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. They have since been bailed.
The historic building, which became famous for its wonky floors and walls, was gutted in a suspected arson attack on August 5 and bulldozed without council permission two days later – sparking both mystery and anger over what happened.
Suspicions grew as the popular pub was destroyed just days after it was sold.
The owners at the heart of the storm – 34-year-old owner Carly Taylor and her husband Adam – removed themselves from the situation by escaping on holiday in a luxury £15,000-a-week villa in Corfu shortly after the demolition.
Mr Taylor previously refused to respond to requests for a statement about the destruction of the much-loved 18th century pub that was about to become a listed building after he was confronted by a Daily Mail reporter.
A statement from South Staffordshire council made clear it had not given any permission to the owners to carry out a full-scale demolition.
Council leader Roger Lees said: ‘Our officers carried out a site visit to the site yesterday (August 7th), prior to the demolition of the building.
‘Officers agreed a programme of works with the landowner’s representative to ensure the safety of the building and the wider site.
‘The agreed course of action included the removal of three elements of the first-floor front elevation only. This was only to avoid the weak parts of the structure from falling.
‘At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary.
‘This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers.
‘As such, we are currently investigating potential breaches of both the Town and Country Planning Act and the Buildings Act.
Campaigners have pledged to rebuild the pub ‘brick by brick’ if necessary
‘Demolition of a building should be carried out in accordance with Schedule 2 Part 11 Class B of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. The steps required by the legislation were not carried out in this case.
‘We have referred these matters to our legal team with a view to taking enforcement action.
‘As soon as we were made aware of the breaches during the demolition, we notified the Health and Safety Executive.
‘We are also liaising with many other relevant statutory bodies, including Historic England, the police and fire services, amongst others. These bodies will take the lead on investigating the issues surrounding the fire, safety of the unauthorised demolition and securing the ongoing safety of the site.
‘Our own investigation is in its early stages and whilst it continues at pace, we as ask for time to consider the facts thoroughly to ensure any future actions are 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.
‘Over recent months, the council had been in conversation with the relevant national bodies regarding how best to protect and preserve this important heritage asset.’
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