Crime-hit pub in razor wire order

Mr Etheridge said he needed the wire to protect the pub

A crime-hit pub landlord has been told to remove razor wire from the outside of his West Midlands pub as it "detracts from the area's character".

Wayne Etheridge, who runs the Royal Oak pub in Amblecote, Stourbridge, said he had been targeted by thieves three times in the past 11 months.

He said he needed the razor wire on the perimeter of the building to prevent further attacks.

But Dudley Council said Mr Etheridge did not have planning permission.

Planning officers said the wire was "inappropriate".

Steel plates

Mr Etheridge said: "I'd only just moved into the property and on the second night my flat was broken into and they took some electrical goods - plasma screens, DVDs, etc, to the value of £9,000.

"I got a local company to put bars on the windows, then the second time they came in a different way - through the back door.

"So after that I put steel plates on all the doors, installed CCTV, and they've broken in again."

Mr Etheridge now has a week to remove the razor wire before the council takes enforcement action.