Trouble-hit former Wolverhampton pub destroyed in fire
A former pub in Wolverhampton alleged to have been at the centre of an organised drug ring has been seriously damaged in a fire.
The blaze at the abandoned Talisman pub, in the Scotlands area of the city, started at around 5.30pm on Friday.
Footage from the scene showed flames leaping from the roof of the building in in Wildtree Avenue. Nearby residents said the fire was result of the second arson attack at the building in two days, however the cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed.
Buses were diverted as work started to tackle the blaze – with four fire crews from Fallings Park, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton and Walsall sent.
A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said four appliances were at the scene along with the hydraulic platform from Walsall.
An hour later the service tweeted there was "good progress" being made at the site as they criticised drones flying in the area.
They posted: "Good progress is being made at The Talisman public house in Underhill Lane. Fire service drone has now been grounded due to rogue drone in the area. Please don't fly your drone at a fire, leave that to us."
In 2016, The Talisman Pub was raided by police – with crack cocaine, digital scales and several bags and wraps of cannabis discovered in the bar and toilets, and had its licence suspended by council chiefs.
Sgt Jake Flanagan, making the application on behalf of West Midlands Police, said the tenant was struggling to keep control of the pub since he was diagnosed with a serious illness and a 'power vacuum' had developed.
He said: "The Talisman is at the heart of an organised crime drug ring."
The troubled pub was closed again in 2018 after another raid uncovered further illegal activity. And there was a proposal two years ago to knock down the pub and replace it with apartments and shops.
A pub-based drug dealing gang who supplied cocaine across Wolverhampton and were based at the pub were locked up for a combined 20 years in 2019.
