Historic building demolition starts

Work to demolish Baswich House on the Staffordshire Police headquarters on Cannock Road began yesterday afternoon and the building is expected to be reduced to rubble within days.

Workers started tearing up the floor in the distinctive mansion, which is more than 130 years old, just hours after Staffordshire Police Authority announced the move in an email shortly before 1pm. A petition with more than 360 signatures had been gathered in protest at the move but police bosses say the building is a health and safety risk and needs to be pulled down to make way for new housing.

The demolition comes after a last-ditch attempt to save Baswich House by local councillors and conservationists. It was initially revealed that police authority bosses were planning to demolish the former home of Stafford MP William Salt in January. But borough councillors, including the authority's leader Judith Dalgarno, demanded a meeting with Staffordshire Police Authority chairman and local county councillor Mike Poulter over the issue.

After listening to their pleas on February 2, he offered to save the building if the borough council took on all financial responsibility for it. He gave the authority 28 days to take up his offer but the cash-strapped authority could only offer a limited contribution to the building's upkeep.

Work has now started to pull the house down – and has prompted a storm of protest.