Pub blazes hit 25 in last four years
Firefighters in Staffordshire have attended 25 incidents at pubs in the last four years, new figures show.
Since 2012, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to nearly 40 alerts at nightclubs and restaurants, as well as pubs.
The requests related to venues in Cannock, Stafford and the south of Staffordshire.
Six pub fires including blazes in Western Springs, the south of Cannock, Stafford, Brewood and Codsall were put down to faulty equipment or electrics.
While 'cooking' was cited as the reason for three fires to a restaurant in the Sieghford area of Stafford in August 2014, a pub fire in Milford, Stafford and another on Wombourne which both took place last February.
A fire at the former Globe Inn in Hednesford in March 2014 was among the incidents after arsonists targeted the site.
The blaze at the pub, which had long since shut down, required 15 firefighters to tackle at its height.
In August that year firefighters were called out to cut a man out of a car after it had collided into the Longford House Beefeater pub in Cannock.
The man, in his 30s, was lucky not to be killed in the incident, according to ambulance crews and was taken to hospital with leg injuries
A breakdown showed that incidents were split relatively evenly in the period with 13 happening in Cannock Chase, 11 in south Staffordshire and 14 in Stafford.
As well as pubs, there were four incidents at nightclubs and nine at restaurants or cafes.
Not included in the figures was the recent blaze at the former Westway pub on Stafford's Highfields estate.
The flames were started deliberately on December 7. Nine crews were required to tackle the fire.
The pub had been shut since 2013 and has now been demolished in the wake of the blaze.
The site had already been earmarked for a development of 18 apartments and 14 houses.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is facing severe cutbacks over the next few years and had been tasked to save £5.7million by 2020.
In bosses confirmed they were axing more than 40 firefighter posts in initial savings of £1million.
Chiefs defended the cuts by stating demand for the service has reduced by a third in the last six years.
