Pub may not be bought as inn

A Black Country pub which was once the HQ of The Tipton Harriers but shut at the start of the year is unlikely to reopen as a drinking establishment, London-based property agents have revealed.

Paramount Investments say interest has been received for The Harrier in Powis Avenue from business people outside the pub trade.

They say there are other options for the site apart from developing it for housing, including use as a retail unit.

The pub sign outside The Harrier depicted a cross-country runner, and enjoyed a long association with Tipton Harriers Athletic Club. It is believed the pub originally opened in the mid 1950s.

It shut in January this year but had briefly closed in 2006 after licence problems.

Paramount's Mark Greig said: "If no publican or pub company steps forward to save The Harrier - it may cease to be a pub at all. Visit www. paramount-investments. co.uk."