PUB PROBE
New twist in Crooked House arson probe as it’s revealed owners hired digger to demolish pub days BEFORE horror blaze
THE owners of The Crooked House pub hired a digger days BEFORE the boozer burnt down.
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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Less than 36 hours after it was engulfed, the 18th century pub was flattened by mechanical diggers on Monday.
The local authority has since condemned the demolition admitting they did not give permission for it to be knocked down
And now it’s been revealed that the couple had already rented a digger a week before the fire.
The digger, Lyndon Thomas plant hire, based in Northamptonshire, was hired out by AT Contracting – owned by Carly.
Mr Thomas told : “We are a family-run firm and we hired out the equipment to an existing customer who had all the necessary insurances and paperwork.
"We hired it out without a driver, and we had no idea what it was going to be used for.
“I can’t be held responsible for what he [the customer] does, but you wouldn’t believe the threatening phone calls we have received since this happened.”
Last night cops revealed that they are now treating the case as arson.
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It comes as Mrs Taylor's social media accounts show her to be a glamorous jetsetter with photographs posing outside the famous seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel during a trip to Dubai.
She is also seen smiling with a handbag under the Eiffel Tower in Paris and driving a Bentley.
The couple purchased The Crooked House pub from brewery Marston's last month.
The Crooked House, which had been known as "Britain's wonkiest pub", 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.
Now the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street has demanded an update over what will become of the site.
He said: “We all thought the Crooked House fire would be arson, but it still makes your blood boil to see it treated as such.
“We must let Police & Fire do their job as they step up their investigation to find the culprit/s.
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“I’m meeting South Staffordshire Council tomorrow to talk next steps for the site.”
It comes after he demanded the pub be “rebuilt brick by brick”.
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