The neglect of a dilapidated pub could lead to “a second great fire of Willenhall” campaigners have warned.

The Campaign for Real Ale made the claim at a public meeting yesterday about the future of The Bell pub, one of the Black Country’s oldest pubs, dating back 350 years.

Keith Watkins, preservation officer for the Walsall branch of Camra, said the building was at such a central point in Willenhall with so many other buildings nearby, that if it were the target of arsonists the fire could rip through a lot of the town centre.

Mr Watkins said: “The pub was built in 1659, right after the Great Fire of Willenhall. It has been at the heart of the town and it’s social life for 350 years.

“The owner knew full well the responsibility that goes with owning a property like this and he has completely ignored that responsibility. He has been forced by the council to make basic repairs. There is the potential for a second Fire of Willenhall, any fire there could easily jump across Bell Alley to other buildings.”

Walsall Camra has started a petition to get the council to force the pub’s owner to restore the building or to obtain a compulsory purchase order so someone else can buy and improve it.