'Heart torn out of Shropshire village' since pub and bowling green closed

The Cleveland Arms in High Ercall, near Telford, shut its doors earlier this year due to falling trade. This was despite a refurbishment costing thousands of pounds.

The bowling at the tied green also halted following a dispute between the former Ercall Magna Bowling Club and the pub's owners.

Now some villagers are calling for the removal of a fence installed in front of the site which has been the focal point of the village for generations. The owners say the fence is there to protect the public.

Councillor Ray Wickson, chairman of Ercall Magna Parish Council, said: "The demise of the public house has really had a detrimental effect on the village. It is the main landmark located on the Shrewsbury Road junction right in the centre of the village and is what visitors and passers-by see when they come here.

"With its closure since January and the fencing being put up around it, and with the state of the bowling green being unused, the village now looks desolate. We have lost the centre of our village.

"Perhaps if the fence could be taken down and the grounds tidied up then it would at least improve the appearance of the village," he said.

But John Hickinbottom, owner of the Cotwall Road site, said there are plans in the pipeline regarding its future.

"The building as it is at the moment is not suitable. It's not viable. It has been closed three or four times in the last decade. At one point it was all boarded up," he said.

"We are currently holding discussions with Telford & Wrekin Council about it. We are hoping to put on a new roof."

Mr Hickinbottom said that the bowling green will need substantial restoration work if it is to be reopened for activities.

His partner Susan King said: "While we can understand people's concerns, the fence won't be removed for the time being due to our insurers advising us to ensure that the premises is as safe as we can make it. It isn't a building site, but the best way to do that was to fence it off.

"We have had problems with youngsters trespassing. We have used a notice board outside to provide information about what we're doing.

"As it's not operating as a business we're in a limbo situation. We have explained this to the councils. There are a lot of issues to resolve and these matters are never quick."

She said a parish survey last year found that 82 per cent of respondents did not use the pub.

Ercall Magna left the green it called home for 41 years.

Its six teams have since amalgamated with Bowring in nearby Wellington.