A "dangerous" fire-damaged building in a Stoke-on-Trent town centre is set to be demolished.

There will be temporary road closures in place in Longton expected to last from 7pm Friday 17 July to 3pm Monday 20 July as the building is demolished.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "The section of Market Street near to Times Square will be temporarily closed to traffic from 7pm on Friday 17 July to allow for the demolition of a dangerous building. It is anticipated that the road will reopen at 3pm Monday 20 July.

"The building, formerly commercial premises, experienced two fires late last year.

"The council's building inspectors have monitored this building since these fires and have recently expressed concern about the future safety of the remaining structures on the site."

The council explained that the following bus services will be affected during the temporary closure:

• Service 11 – Inbound buses will use King Street, Longton Bus Station (stand 1), Wood Street, Upper Cross Street, Anchor Road, then resume normal route.
• Services 6,6A,36,36A – Outbound buses will use King Street, Longton Bus Station (stand 3), Wood Street, Upper Cross Street, Anchor Road, Market Street, then resume normal route. Inbound will be normal route
• Service 27A will also use the Bus Station (stand 4)

The council spokesperson added: "It was originally expected that the works would take place over the weekend of 11 and 12 July, however, the private contractors commissioned by the building owners to carry out the demolition requested that works be delayed for a week due to logistical issues regarding the machinery they required.

"We apologise for any inconvenience these works might cause but public safety must always come first. We appreciate people's patience and understanding on this matter."

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