BULLDOZERS have moved in to demolish a landmark pub in Crewe.

The Ashbank Hotel in Pym's Lane is being flattened to make way for 22 semi-detached and terraced houses.

Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council gave the go-ahead after the developer, Buildchoice Ltd, said it would contribute £25,000 towards upgrading play facilities in adjacent Minshull New Road.

The distinctive art déco building, opened in 1938, was a favourite haunt of workers at the Rolls-Royce and Bentley factory down the decades.

Despite claims the pub was 'seriously underused', it remained popular with residents and had a number of sports teams still playing in local leagues until its closure earlier this year.

It stood boarded up for months and became a target for vandals who sparked a fire in June, which gutted the building inside and damaged the roof.

Former landlady Sheila Meredith, who lives in Newdigate Street, Crewe, ran the pub for six years. She says it is sad to see it finally being knocked down.

She added: 'It was such a beautiful building. I sat as a child and watched them dig the cellar out. It is really sad to see it being demolished.

'When we had it, it used to be full. If you weren't in by 7.30pm you could not get a seat. I still send Christmas cards to some of my old customers. They were a lovely bunch.'

Mayor of Crewe and Nantwich, Cllr Howard Curran, who has written a book on Crewe pubs, called it a 'sad end to an era'.

He said: 'This was a thriving pub in its day, attracting many car workers and locals.

'Crewe has lost its fair share of pubs and this is another little piece of local history lost.

'But Crewe is a boom town with a growing population, and we must cater for its housing needs.'