As more than a dozen activists demanded access to the lane leading to the rubble to witness the work, two of the protesters sat in the path of a truck and trailer leaving the site, and another vehicle trying to enter Crooked House Lane. .
Holding a protest banner, Jane Baker, from nearby Halesowen, said: “We are doing this, and all the people who have come today, because we care so much about our heritage, our history and Crooked House.
It has always been there, at the end of this road. She means a lot to all of us. What happened is wrong and we have to take a stand, all of us.”
Marco Longhi, the Dudley North MP, urged anyone with concerns about problems at the site to continue to report them to his office.
Staffordshire Police said they had received reports that a group of protesters had turned up at the site and that officers were “attendance as a precaution and to reassure the community”.
The force said: “We recognize the strength of local sentiment following the loss of an important cultural landmark.
“Our investigation is live and ongoing. Work continues on a CCTV trace, forensic analysis and witness accounts as we try to piece together the circumstances leading up to the fire.”
