Third arrest in Crooked House fire investigation

The pub, known for its sloping walls and floor, was demolished less than two days after the fire

A third man has been arrested after a fire at the Crooked House pub, which was demolished 48 hours after the blaze, causing widespread outrage.

The 51-year-old, of Buckingham, was held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson at the building known as Britain's wonkiest pub.

The building in Himley, Staffordshire, was set alight on 5 August, leaving it gutted.

Two men, 66 and 33, were previously arrested on suspicion of arson.

Staffordshire Police said the latest arrest had been made after officers had trawled through CCTV footage and spoken to people who had come forward with information.

All three of those arrested have been released and are on conditional bail, the force said.

Officers are continuing to appeal for any information that may help the continuing investigation.

The force said it understood "speculation is still widespread, both locally and online" and that teams were "working hard to get through an extensive list of inquiries".

The building was reduced to rubble on 7 August

The 18th Century pub, near Dudley, was known for its sloping walls and floor due to mining subsidence in the area and was one of the best known landmarks in the Black Country before its destruction.

It was sold by Marston's to ATE Farms Limited in July.

South Staffordshire Council is conducting its own investigation into the demolition.

The local authority said it had not agreed to the total destruction of the site and was investigating whether the demolition was unlawful.

It said it had permitted only part of the building to be demolished for safety reasons and the matter had been referred to its legal team with a view to taking enforcement action.

'Sadness and anger'

The Save the Crooked House campaign group and contractors agreed to secure the 25,000 bricks from the building and they are now being kept in padlocked containers.

They have been stored in case of an eventual rebuild, which thousands of people have called for.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday morning, before the arrest was revealed by police, local MP Marco Longhi said the building's demise had "struck a chord of sadness and anger" with people in the area and even across the world.

He called for a debate to investigate what MPs could do to better protect heritage pubs.