Brewery that announced purchase of pub in Shrewsbury days before truck crash on A49 responds to ‘significant’ damage

Black Country Ales has announced the acquisition of the Three Fishes pub in Bayston Hill just five days ago.

But on Monday morning around 5:30 am, a driver had to be cut loose from his truck after it drove through a house on the A49 and right into the side of the pub.

Now the Dudley-based pub chain, which already operates several other sites in Shropshire including The Anvil in Shifnal and The Harp in Albrighton, has spoken out about the incident.

A company spokesperson said they were “saddened” by the accident and extended their best wishes to the driver of the truck.

They said: “Following the recent excitement surrounding the announcement of our takeover of the Three Fishes pub in Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury, we are saddened to report an unfortunate incident involving a truck crashing into the building.

“The structural damage is significant and this will delay our planned renovation and opening. We sincerely hope that the driver makes a full and speedy return to good health.”

Bayston Hill resident James Deurden, who has managed the pub for the past two months, told The Shropshire Star he would hand over the keys next week.

A fundraising for the family, whose home and business in Hong Kong City were damaged in the collision, has received almost £4,000 in donations – dwarfing the original target of £750.

On Wednesday, temporary traffic lights were still present on the A49 through Bayston Hill while work continued to secure the buildings.

In the aftermath of the crash, the village’s residents were calling for more to be done to improve safety on the busy A-road – pointing to a barrier on the other side of the takeaway had only just been repaired after being hit by another vehicle.