Action threatened over fire-damaged building

Brockley Square in Hanley has been fenced off since a fatal fire in March 2024

Action could be taken against the owner of a building which was damaged by a fire that killed a homeless man last year.

Brockley Square in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, has been fenced off since Jamie Parker died in the blaze at the former Yates wine bar in March 2024.

The structure has been made secure but issues at the site including rough sleepers, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and trespassing are still being reported, according to Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The authority said it had made "numerous attempts" to contact the owner, who has not been identified, but they had failed to engage.

Councillor Chris Robinson, cabinet member for housing and planning, said: "We will continue our attempts to liaise with the building owner and will not hesitate to take enforcement action against them if they fail to take the necessary action to make the building safe and secure."

Jamie Parker died in the fire in a former Yates wine bar last year

Firefighters were called to the blaze at the site at about 05:45 GMT on 12 March 2024 and Mr Parker's body was found a day later.

An inquest on Wednesday heard he had started the fire to try and keep warm before it quickly got out of control

The other homeless men who were in the building with him managed to escape but the fire was too extensive for Mr Parker to be rescued, assistant coroner Lindsey Tonks said.

She ruled that his death was misadventure and described it as a tragic event.

Mr Parker's sister Stephanie said her brother was a "beautiful person"

Shortly after Mr Parker died, his sister Stephanie said he was a "beautiful person" who had "everything going for him" before his life began to spiral after suffering a brain injury in 2011.

The issues were exacerbated by a drug addiction, then by the deaths of their eldest sister in 2015 and their mum in 2020.

Ms Parker said: "I miss him a lot. I've missed him for years even before he was gone, with the road he went down."

"He deserved better, he really did deserve better," she added.