Work to start on fire-damaged former pottery site

The old Wade Ceramics site in Burslem was damaged by a fire in April

Work to make a fire-damaged former pottery factory safe is due to begin, more than four months after the Grade II-listed building was gutted in a blaze.

The Wade Ceramics site on Westport Road in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, was damaged when the fire broke out on 27 April.

Due to the state of the building, the road has been closed since the fire, which police believed to be arson, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council previously called for the situation to be resolved "as quickly as possible".

Miller Homes, which owns the site, said a report outlining the work on the listed building had been submitted to the council with the project due to start next month.

A company spokesperson said: "We are working with our contractors and we anticipate works will commence in early September which, when completed, will allow the road to reopen.

"We would like to thank the local community for their patience while the road has been closed."

Westport Road has been closed since the fire

A council spokesperson said the listed nature of the building had added to the "complexities" surrounding the work and the road closure, contributing to the delay.

"It is important we now have a clear timetable and the priority is to make sure the work is done as quickly as possible and the road reopens. In the meantime, public safety is paramount," they said.

The site has been vacant since 2010 when Wade Ceramics moved to new headquarters in Festival Park in the Etruria area of the city.

The building, which dates back to 1814, has been the source of concerns in recent years about rough sleepers using it, but the site's future remains unclear.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.