Council pledges to help city firm recover

Council chiefs in Wolverhampton today pledged to support Carvers Building Supplies and help it return to its former glory following the devastating blaze.

Wolverhampton City Council leader Councillor Roger Lawrence offered to help find temporary premises for the Little's Lane firm and space to store its vehicles.

An emergency planning meeting was held at the council as firefighters fought to bring the warehouse blaze under control.

Council chief executive Simon Warren called Henry Carver to express the authority's sympathies.

"This is an awful thing to happen to such a long-established Wolverhampton company," he said.

"I have told him that the council will do all it can to help and we very much hope the absence of Carvers will be temporary."

A group of senior officers from across the authority met throughout the afternoon, receiving regular updates from officers at the scene as well as from the emergency services.

Faulkland Street car park had to close along with the Maltings mobility centre. Woden Primary School was also closed.

The council was expecting them to be open again today.

Councillor Lawrence said the council was looking at various ways in which it could help out.

"We will try to help with temporary premises if they need them," he said.

"If the company had vehicles out on the road we may be able to assist with somewhere to store them. There will be offers of whatever assistance we can give."

Heath Town Conservative councillor Margaret Findlay, who represents the area where Carvers is based, said: "Carvers is one of the only places supplying building materials in Wolverhampton and is an independent business as well."

Opposition Conservative leader Councillor Neville Patten said the fire was a wake-up call to complete plans to move potentially explosive liquid petroleum gas tanks from the Carvers site. The tanks were at the centre of a courtroom battle between the council and the Health and Safety Executive, which objected to the nearby £40 million Victoria Halls student village because it was in the blast zone.

Councillor Patten said: "I am extremely sad for Henry. These tanks need to be moved to a better place."