West Midlands Mayor urges people to 'steer clear' of Crooked House site as investigations continue

Since the devastating fire at the iconic Himley pub on Saturday and later 'wrongful demolition', many have gathered at the site to pay tribute to the lost landmark.

Now, following a meeting with South Staffordshire Council, Mayor Andy Street has called upon the community to "steer clear" of the site to give the local authority "time and space".

He said: "It is clear from our conversation with South Staffordshire District Council that they remain just as committed to the future of the Crooked House as we do, and we want to thank them for their time and candour.

"They will not let this lie and have a plan in place (including pursuing enforcement action as they announced earlier in the week), but they must be given space and time to conduct their work – just as is the case with Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service.

"That is why we would really encourage people to steer clear of the site now and allow authorities to carry out their work. We feel the sadness, anger, and frustration as much as anyone over what has happened to the Crooked House, but the last thing we want is for well-intentioned community action to inadvertently damage any positive future for the site."

Mr Street has also reaffirmed his previous statement, in which he called upon The Crooked House to be rebuilt "brick-by-brick".

He continued: "We have been very clear from the moment the Crooked House was demolished without permission that we believe it should be rebuilt brick-by-brick, and we remain laser-focussed on making that happen. Nothing we've seen or heard this week has led us to change our mind.

"We are absolutely on the case, and indeed our resolve has hardened after hearing from the district council – whose plans we have pledged our full support to.

"Whoever has targeted this beloved landmark in this way has messed with the wrong pub, the wrong community, and the wrong authorities.

"The Crooked House will not be consigned to history on our watch."

Following the meeting, South Staffordshire Council leader councillor Roger Lees has described the 18th century pub as a "key priority".

He continued: "We’d like to thank Andy Street and his team for their time in meeting with us yesterday and their full support for the approach being taken by South Staffordshire Council.

"Our officers continue to work to explore all options in relation to the building and planning breaches at the Crooked House.

"I want to assure all interested parties that this case is absolutely a key priority for our officers and we are committed to working in partnership with all relevant parties on this important matter.

"We urge people to stay away from the site and to allow the council, the police, and other agencies the space to focus on the important tasks in hand."

Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service are continuing their investigation into the fire, which they are now treating as arson.