Crooked House site left 'environmental disaster' by fly-tippers dumping rubbish

The site of Britain's wonkiest pub has become an "environmental disaster" after being targeted by fly-tippers dumping mountains of rubbish.

The Crooked House, in Himley, near Dudley, was destroyed in a suspected arson attack before being demolished two days later in August 2023.

Campaigners fighting to get the pub rebuilt say the former location of the historic building has now become a fly-tipping hotspot just over a year on.

Shocking photos show how huge piles of household waste have been discarded across the site - including in a nearby stream.

David Shotton, a member of the 'Save the Crooked House - Let's Get It Rebuilt' Facebook page, visited the site on Sunday (22/9).

He wrote: "Today’s visit had no fresh surprises for us both, yet more evidence of further fly tipping and a fresh dumping by the Biffa entrance.

"Further down the lane, the pilings that hold back the landfill have now finally and completely given up, and has allowed the land to surge forward, allowing contaminated soils and debris to navigate through the water stream/brook.

"I can only describe today’s visit as an environmental disaster, the impact this will have on the local wildlife and surrounding area will no doubt suffer in the long term if nothing is done about it fairly soon."

Mr Shotton and other members of the group said they had reported fly-tipping in the area on several other occasions.

The demolition of the famous pub sparked a huge uprising by campaigners calling for it to be rebuilt 'brick by brick'.

Staffordshire Police made six arrests in connection with the incident but nobody has ever been charged and all suspects have since been released on bail.

The iconic building, which dates back to 1735, was changed from a farmhouse to a pub in 1830 and was famous for its wonky appearance.

It became a well-known tourist attraction due to the mining subsidence which caused one side of the building to be approximately 4ft (1.2 m) lower than the other.

In February, South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice ordering the owners to rebuild the iconic pub following its 'unlawful demolition'.

The owners have since lodged an appeal and proposed rebuilding the pub in a different location.