Six arrested over pub fire released from bail

Six people arrested last year over the Crooked House pub fire have been released from bail but remain under investigation.

The pub in Himley, near Dudley, once known as "Britain's wonkiest" inn, was gutted in a major fire almost a year ago.

Staffordshire Police said soon after the blaze that it was being treated as arson, and the force went on to arrest six people between August and October last year.

A police spokesperson said on Tuesday all six people had been released from bail and they were now classed as “released under investigation”.

The spokesperson said this meant the six people were no longer under any bail conditions, but added they could not disclose further details of the specific conditions that had been in place.

The Crooked House was demolished two days after the fire on 5 August and campaigners then spent months calling for the Black Country landmark to be rebuilt.

It was first built in 1765 as a farmhouse but due to mining in the area some years later, one side of the building began to gradually sink.

South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice on the pub’s owners in February that ordered them to rebuild it.

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

The six people arrested include five men and one woman, who were aged between 23 and 66 at the time of arrest.

The police spokesperson said releasing people from bail was “a standard practice” for those who had been on bail for a long period, and the investigation was still ongoing.

Bail conditions can include living at a certain address and having to check in regularly at a police station.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]