BLAZE PROBE
A MARRIED couple are facing questions after "Britain's wonkiest pub" was destroyed by an inferno just weeks after it was bought.
The Crooked House, in Himley, Staffordshire, went up in flames on Saturday night not long after it was sold to a private buyer for "alternative use".
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Mystery surrounds the burning of the building after intruders were reportedly seen before the horror and firefighters were blocked from putting out the inferno.
And less than 36 hours after it was engulfed, the 18th century pub was flattened by mechanical diggers on Monday.
Footage showed diggers moving in to knock down what was left of the historic Black Country pub within hours of emergency services leaving the scene.
Now, cops said that they would be “speaking to the owners” in a joint investigation that involves the fire service and South Staffordshire district council.
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New owners Carly Taylor, 34, and her husband Adam, 44, will be grilled by officers after the destruction.
The pub was sold by Marston's Brewery last month to ATE Farms Limited, a company controlled by Carly.
It had been listed for sale for £675,000.
Husband Adam is shareholder and former director of Himley Environmental Ltd which runs a land fill site next to the pub.
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Cops are investigating the cause of the blaze while South Staffordshire Council has said its lawyers are looking into potential breaches of the Town and Planning Act after the Crooked House was demolished.
Roger Lees, leader of South Staffordshire council, said that planning officers had visited the burnt-out pub on Monday.
Mr Lees said: “The agreed course of action included the removal of three elements of the first-floor front elevation only.
“This was only to avoid the weak parts of the structure from falling. At no point did the council agree the demolition of the whole structure nor was this deemed necessary.
“This council finds the manner in which the situation was managed following the fire completely unacceptable and contrary to instructions provided by our officers.”
Meanwhile, Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, has called for the pub to be rebuilt “brick-by-brick”.
Police said in a statement that they were investigating "all of the available evidence into the cause" of the fire with Stafford Fire and Rescue and that as of yet no cause of the fire had been established.
It comes after it was revealed the pub, where coins and marbles famously rolled uphill along the bar, was put forward for listed status protection just days before it became rubble.
It would have meant that the owners would have needed permission from the council to fully demolish it before doing so.
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On the night of the horror, one local said that intruders had been seen inside the closed pub and seemed to be partying and playing music moments before the blaze, according to the Telegraph.
But cops said no one was inside the building when it went up in flames.
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