Crooked House campaigners praised in letter from PM

Campaigners who vowed to save the Crooked House said they were thanked by Rishi Sunak in a letter sent to Marco Longhi MP

Crooked House campaigners have been praised in a letter from the prime minister, following a notice issued ordering the pub to be rebuilt.

"Britain's wonkiest inn" caught fire on 5 August in a suspected arson attack and was demolished two days later.

The owners of the pub, in Himley, near Dudley, were served with the enforcement notice on 27 February by South Staffordshire Council.

Campaigner Ian Sandall said Rishi Sunak had recognised the work involved.

He said the prime minister congratulated the council and had thanked the Save The Crooked House campaign group in a letter to the Conservative MP for Dudley North, Marco Longhi.

"We've received a letter today off Rishi Sunak, congratulating both the MPs, Marco [Longhi] and Sir Gavin [Williamson] for their involvement," he told BBC Radio WM.

"Rishi's actually recognised as well the input that we've had and the profile that we've managed to raise and our persistence, so I'm very pleased that we've got recognition from so high above."

The pub was demolished less than two days after the fire broke out in August last year

In February the council served the notice to ATE Farms Limited, the company that owns the pub, as well as the company's director George Adam Taylor and former director Carly Taylor, who stepped down in December.

They were given 30 days to appeal at the time and the notice must be complied with within three years.

The notice, ordering the historic building to be returned to its original state, was praised by campaigners and Mr Longhi, who had also pushed for a rebuild.

The Crooked House, first built in 1765 as a farmhouse, became a popular local attraction when one side of the building began to sink due to mining work in the area during the 19th Century.

The Crooked House, known for its sloping walls and floor, caught fire on 5 August

Mr Sandall is one of the campaigners involved in the Save The Crooked House group which has grown to have more than 37,000 members on Facebook.

It was initially set up by locals who were concerned over the pub's future when it was sold to new owners by Marston's last year.

Mr Sandall said the building was "important" to the area but became a "bit of a shameful site" after the fire.

A Facebook group set up by locals has more than 37,000 members

"This was part of our culture, our heritage, an iconic building that's been standing for 256 years," he said.

"Something needed to be done. So a few of us collectively got together and we decided that we were going to do something."

Praising the work of MP's and the council, Mr Sandall said so many people had put a "lot of hard work and effort" into raising the profile of the campaign to "keep it in the news."

"It was just an accumulation and that hard work and that effort that we actually got the result," he explained.