Last orders for shelter

A notice has been served on a pub in Rugeley ordering it to take down its makeshift smoking shelters which fall within a conservation area.

Bosses at The Vine pub in Sheep Fair have 28 days to lodge an appeal and must then remove the shipping containers in two months or face court action and fines up to £20,000.

Planners at Cannock Chase Council delivered the notice by hand on Thursday.

Dave Westwood, owner of the pub, said he has not decided whether to appeal because it would cost £600 to do so.

He said: "It is money that I won't get back. Why should I pay to put in a retrospective planning application they say they are going to refuse anyway?

"I'm trying to run a business here, I don't need to be ringing the council every five minutes about the shipping containers.

"I can't understand, with Rugeley on the edge of area of outstanding natural beauty, they should be trying to help small businesses attract people to the area but instead we're getting hounded all the time."

The containers, decked with furniture, flowers and outdoor heaters were placed in the back garden when the ban came into force in July so the owners could see how much the shelter was used before ploughing thousands into a permanent structure.

Mr Westwood claims he was told by the planning department that he needs planning permission for the containers with adaptations, but not if they were shipping containers in the back being used for storage.

Planning officer, John Heminsley said: "Our interpretation is that if they are being used to accommodate people and not as containers for the pub then it is an operational development and they do need planning permission."