Crooked House demolition plant hire owner: “I’ve done nothing wrong”

The owner of the plant firm that owns the excavator used to demolish the 18^th Century Crooked House pub in the West Midlands has denied any involvement in carrying out the work.

South Staffordshire District Council has launched an investigation into potential breaches of planning and building laws after the historic alehouse in Dudley was demolished on Monday (7 August), two days after being severely damaged by fire.

A 14-tonne Hyundai excavator pictured on TV knocking down the 18th-century building in the West Midlands bore the logo of Northamptonshire-based plant hire firm Lyndon Thomas.

Speaking to Construction News today, the firm’s owner, Lyndon Thomas, said that the firm had delivered the excavator a week and a half ago - but that a driver was not supplied in the deal.

He said: “If you give me your insurance and all your details and I deliver [equipment] to you and then you just tried to knock down your neighbour's building , what can I do? I have done nothing wrong.

“We just hire a digger to a customer. I can’t be responsible for what they do with the machinery.”

Thomas said that employees of the firm have been sent “horrific”emails following comments made about the firm on social media.

“They are not very nice. We’ve had a lot of people ringing the phone and putting it down again.

"If I knew this was going to happen I probably have done something different, but I'm not Mystic Meg."

Thomas said that the excavator had been provided to a customer which had an account with the company.

The customer is paying weekly for the excavator's hire, he said.

Following the incident, Thomas said that he intended to have a conversation with the customer, who “always pays his bills”, Thomas added.

The firm owner declined to say how much the customer was paying, or to name them.

The company’s website lists the supply of demolition specification equipment to demolition contractors “on a self-drive or operated basis”.

The case hit the headlines at the weekend, when the much-loved pub, which had famously sloping floors due to subsidence, suffered severe fire damage.

The pub had recently been sold by brewing firm Marston's to a property firm called ATE Farms Ltd.

Staffordshire Police announced on Monday that it was investigating the cause of the fire, saying it was “working hard to examine all of the evidence available and continue to speak to members of the public who have been forthcoming with information which can help our investigation”.

That same day, officers from South Staffordshire Council attended the site and agreed with the landowner’s representative a programme of works to make the charred remains of the building safe.

A statement from council leader Roger 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.”

He said the council was investigating potential breaches of both the Town and Country Planning Act and the Buildings Act.

“Demolition of a building should be carried out in accordance with Schedule 2 Part 11 Class B of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, he said.

“The steps required by the legislation were not carried out in this case.

“We have referred these matters to our legal team with a view to taking enforcement action.”

A Health and Safety Executive spokesperson said: “We are aware about the concerns around this site and liaising with South Staffordshire Council to understand if there is a role for us.”

On its LinkedIn profile, Lyndon Thomas Group describes itself as a family-run “group of companies” that was founded in 2009.

The group includes separate contracting, haulage and plant arms.