Drivers and football fans were today being warned to avoid part of Smethwick this weekend when one of the region’s tallest tower blocks is demolished.

Grove Lane will be closed while Hamilton House is razed to the ground on Sunday. The road will be blocked off at the junction of Dudley Road at one end and London Street at the other.

The closure will take place from 7am until around 1.30pm. Pc Bryan Connor, from Oldbury police station, said it could affect football fans who are heading to the Hawthorns.

“Blues and West Bromwich Albion fans may be planning to use this route to get to the match,” he said.

“I would advise them to avoid Grove Road and work out an alternative route to the Hawthorns before they set off.”

Hamilton House is finally being demolished after a history of years of drug and vandalism problems.

The block has also been the centre of shootings and arson attacks.

The 24-storey block has been derelict for more than six months.

The block, which has been described as a blot on the landscape, is opposite the former Mitchells and Butlers brewery, which has already been demolished to make way for hundreds of new homes.

The Soho and Victoria area of Smethwick once had 20 buildings over eight floors.

However, the demolition of Hamilton House and, at a later date, Bearwood house, will bring the number down to just four.

The site has been earmarked as a possible venue for a new multi-million “super” hospital on the Sandwell and Birmingham border.

By Dave Lawley