Wolves fan baffled by order to remove Steve Bull mural

Eddie Solly, who is recovering from Covid-19 and lung cancer, said he first thought the letter from the council was a joke

A mural featuring former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Steve Bull is set to stay after a council u-turn.

The portrait, sprayed on fan Eddie Solly's garage door in Stourbridge, was a birthday gift from his daughter in November.

The 70-year-old, said he initially thought a letter from Dudley Council ordering its removal was someone "mucking about".

In a statement, the council leader said no further action would be taken.

It followed an earlier letter calling for it to be removed by the new year, because it breached planning regulations and was an unauthorised advertisement larger than a third of a square metre.

The mural sprayed by local artist Joe was a gift for Mr Solly's 70th birthday

Mr Solly, who is recovering from lung cancer and coronavirus, said: "I read it through a few times, showed my wife Helen and I said 'I can't believe this, what are we supposed to be advertising?'

"I just couldn't understand it at all. You can't see the thinking behind it."

He said when he first saw the mural it was a "nice surprise", adding "I watched him [Steve Bull] when we were in the fourth division, he was the one that saved us. He's such a great player, my two boys adored him."

"The last year, we've not been able to go anywhere, no football, and every time I turn into the drive, he's there."

When injury ended his career, Steve Bull had scored 306 goals and collected 18 hat-tricks

Dudley Council Leader Patrick Harley said after receiving a complaint about the mural the local authority had to "act on it".

"However, things are never that straight forward and we completely understand how important football is to people's lives," he added.

"Common sense has to prevail with this and I have instructed officers to take no further action."