Anyone following the story of the fire and almost immediate demolition of 'Britain's wonkiest pub'?

[SirChenjins]

It's looking a bit suspicious to say the least! Such a shame to see a lovely old building reduced to a pile of bricks.

Police are treating it as arson aren’t they?

I live near enough for it to be on local radio etc although I'm not actually local to the pub. It's so obviously dodgy you wonder what they were thinking

I'd never heard of the pub until this story. I wonder if the owners are surprised that it has generated so much coverage in the national media?

The Times article says the husband is a plant hire boss and is connected to the landfill company next door to the pub. I wonder if that's where the digger came from?

I'm furious about this and I've never even been there. DH is from nearby.

I don't think the brewery should've sold it off in the first place. Was it even offered to the community for a buy out?

The demolition company is owned by the husband of the woman who brought the pub.

I hope they both end up in prison.

A lot of criminals are actually quite stupid aren't they?

I’ve just been reading about this. It’s outrageous isn’t it? Is knocking down your own building a criminal matter, or a civil offence? Just wondering if someone was to deliberately burn down a pub, could they then be imprisoned?

TBF, a JCB could get past the mounds of earth a lot easier than a fire engine!

Well they wont get any insurance money from the fire looking at the way it is going, so I hope they have deep pockets

We had a similar old building that strangely went up in flames immediately after being refused permission to demolish for the third time - many, many years ago.

The council forced the owner of the site to rebuild it. It's still standing now - so it can happen.

Where did you read the dog had identified an accelerant?

Well, it was after the dog had been used that the police said it was arson.

Fingers crossed - I believe arson carries a prison sentence. Of course, I'm sure that Adam and Carly know nothing about it and have enemies who wish to frame them etc etc.

If the pub wasn’t listed is there actually a legal mechanism to force them to rebuild it?

If the fire was arson perhaps the demolition will count as something like interfering with a crime scene, or perverting the course of justice by attempting to hide evidence?

The highest tariff for arson is life. For some reason this case has really wound me up and I'm looking forward to hearing about the police findings!

https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/arson-criminal-damage-by-fire/

I think for me it’s the blatantness that makes it so enraging.

It seems fairly clear that it is dodgy. Interesting that is has got so much publicity, it’s amazing how many empty old buildings catch fire when planning applications are refused, either that or they are left to rot until they basically fall apart and have to be demolished.

What a pair of thick idiots. I hope they both do time.

This. I’d say less about insurance and more about very quickly razing it to the ground before restrictions were put in place that would not allow whatever hideous development they have planned. Disgrace.

Why did no-one in authority get on site and order the stopping of the demolition? The local authority has been remiss here at best

Agree. Years of history gone in a matter of hours so that some dodgy couple can make a few more dirty pounds. I really hope this ends in jail time for both of them - and I hope that the Inland Revenue is taking a very close look at their accounts in the meantime.

I hope they both get life in prison and are made to rebuild it.

They seem like such shallow empty people.

I think probably because it happened so quickly on a Sunday - if you've ever tried to get hold of the Council's planning dept outwith business hours you'll know how difficult it is.

Thanks, Pangram.

That's absolutely criminal what they have done.
Hope they punished for destroying a beautiful building.

I’m sure they will have timed the demolition on purpose to make it as difficult as possible for the council to stop them.