Andy Street calls for Crooked House to be 'rebuilt brick by brick' after Dudley pub demolished

Andy Street has called for the Crooked House to be "rebuilt brick by brick" after bulldozers were sent in to demolish it.

The West Midlands Mayor has also said any attempt to change its use in the future should be blocked, insisting he would not let the iconic pub "be consigned to history".

Mr Street and the region's night time economy advisor, Alex Claridge, vowed to take steps to "protect and preserve" the heritage of 'Britain's wonkiest boozer', which was reduced to rubble less than 48-hours after a fire ripped through it on Saturday night (August 5).

In the letters, Street and Claridge said "it was no secret that the site was on the open market for some time, and that Marston's were struggling to make the site viable as a pub, however given the outpouring of support following this weekend's fire, we are convinced that there could well be a future for the pub."

They continued by saying "clearly any proposal of this nature would need time, not least in conversation with the new owners, and it is one reason we ask your council not to allow a change of use to take place."

In a separate letter to the Chiefs of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Staffordshire Police, the duo said they were also "intrigued" by the fact emergency services faced "blocked access when trying to get to the scene" due to a huge pile of dirt in the road and asked to be kept "abreast" of the investigation.

Flowers and cards of sympathy have been left at the site of the much-loved pub in the Black Country, with Staffordshire Police saying its investigation was ongoing.