Why this lament for a burnt-out pub? Is it because Britain seems a bit of a Crooked House these days? | Marina Hyde

The fate of a historic landmark has certainly struck a chord: neglected and then reduced to rubble. Uncanny isn't it?

Has anyone seen Adam and Carly Taylor, owners of the Crooked House on Himley Road in Staffordshire? The Taylors took ownership of the historic wonky pub just over a fortnight ago, only for it to be gutted by fire nine days later. Within 48 hours of the night-time blaze, which has sparked national outrage, the structural remains of the Crooked House were hastily reduced to rubble by a digger - without council permission. Which has also sparked national outrage. But still no public sign of the Taylors. Normally in a case such as this, you would expect to see the owners weeping on the local TV news about their loss and the cruelty of it. Yet even as the story goes international with a big write-up in the New York Times, Adam and Carly are nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they are simply too devastated to come before the TV cameras.

We should note right from the get-go that the couple have not been identified as suspects - indeed, the local police show impressive commitment to modernspeak by announcing that they continue to engage" with the owners. A way of putting it that suggests the force reached out" to the pair, opened a constructive dialogue", and hope to land on the same page" in due course. We must wish them all the best with their investigation, at the same time as encouraging any Belgian or deerstalkered detectives to make their way immediately to the Dudley area to assist with inquiries.