MP seeks new law to protect other pubs from The Crooked House's fate
The Crooked House will ‘rise from the ashes’: MP says he wants to see a law put in place to protect other pubs from the same fate as ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ which burned down – but tells members of the public wanting answers to be ‘patient’
- The Crooked House burned down on August 5 and was demolished days later
An 18th century pub destroyed by fire will ‘rise from the ashes’, an MP has said as he called for a ‘Crooked House law’ to protect other pubs from the same fate.
Dudley North MP Marco Longhi urged members of the public to be ‘patient’ as they seek answers about what happened, at a meeting on Wednesday.
The Crooked House, in Himley, West Midlands, burned down on August 5 and was demolished without permission on August 7.
Staffordshire Police treating the fire as arson.
The historic site, known as Britain’s wonkiest pub, was sold by pub company Marston’s to a private buyer two weeks prior to the fire.
Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North speaking at the public meeting in Himley near Dudley, West Midlands, regarding the Crooked House pub, on Wednesday August 16, 2023
Members of the public speaking to Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North (not in pic) at the public meeting in Himley near Dudley, regarding the Crooked House pub, Wednesday August 16
The Crooked House pub near Dudley. Staffordshire Police have said they are ‘reviewing all of the available evidence’ on the cause of the fire at the Crooked House in Himley
People inspect the rubble remains of The Crooked House pub in Himley, demolished two days after it was gutted by fire. Picture date: August 8, 2023
At the public meeting at nearby Himley Hall on Wednesday, Mr Longhi urged residents to ‘be patient and let due process take its course’ and avoid posting speculation about the circumstances of the fire on social media.
He told the audience of more than 100 people that the investigation into the incident would be a ‘marathon not a sprint’, but said he was committed to taking the issue to Parliament and to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when MPs return from summer recess next month.
READ MORE: Owners of wonky pub The Crooked House destroyed in ‘arson attack’ have links to landfill site which caught fire almost exactly five years earlier
He said: ‘As of yesterday, having met South Staffordshire District Council, I feel much more confident we’re on the right path. They are completely on side.
‘We’re running a marathon, not a sprint, we have to be patient and let due process take its course. All the people who want answers straight away need to be patient.
‘Facebook is a complete nightmare for us. People say what they feel, when they feel and it is unhelpful.
‘This is a complex issue. We are talking months, perhaps even longer.’
He added: ‘I don’t believe our current legislative framework is strong enough. You have my cast iron guarantee that when Parliament is back in session, I will be knocking on Michael Gove’s door. I would love to see, in future, a Crooked House law.
‘It is important we make a change in the law. Our historic pubs and buildings are not protected adequately.
‘We need to change what we have in place now so the risk of what has already happened happening again is zero.
‘Developers, and I’m not necessarily talking specifically about this case, may feel they can get away with it, but you have my assurance I will be pursuing this every day until we get that changed.’
He also blasted the ‘disgusting’ behaviour of people who have been taking bricks and other debris from the rubble and addressed the erection of security fencing around the site on Tuesday, which caused alarm among concerned members of the public.
He said: ‘What is unfortunate, which tells us a lot about society, is that it’s probably Dudley people who have taken [bricks] and think they can make a quick buck.
‘It is disgusting. I’m happy the fencing is up.’
The MP (pictured) called for patience amid an investigation into the incident, on Wednesday
Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North speaking at the public meeting in Himley on Wednesday
Members of the public listened to MP Marco Longhi at the meeting on Wednesday
The Crooked House pub caught fire earlier this month, almost exactly five years on from the fire at the landfill site. Police are treating the bar blaze as deliberate
The pub as it stood on Monday August 7. A day later it was rubble
Staffordshire Police said officers are following a number of lines of inquiry into the blaze, which was reported to the emergency services at 10.45pm on August 5.
And in a statement issued last Friday, Staffordshire Police also confirmed South Staffordshire Council was conducting an investigation into the ‘demolition of the entire building, without appropriate permissions’.
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