Crew from KB Scaffolding Services by the fire damaged pub in March. - Credit: KB Scaffolding Services

A scaffolding company which acted quickly to preserve a landmark pub in Great Yarmouth have been left £90,000 out of pocket.

The former Haven Bridge pub by Bridge Road went up in flames on the night of Wednesday, March 23.

The building suffered extensive damage to its roof, while fire and smoke could be seen from the Acle Straight.

A large fire ripped through the roof of the former Haven Bridge pub in Great Yarmouth on March 25. - Credit: Roman Stevie Henderson

A fleet of emergency vehicles and dozens of firefighters tackled the blaze and Bridge Road was closed to both lanes of traffic for two days following the fire.

By Friday, March 25, crew from KB Scaffolding began work to protect the building and aid in the re-opening of Bridge Road.

Now, almost five months after the blaze, the scaffolding is still in place and KB Scaffolding owner Michael Black is still waiting to be paid the £90,000 for the service.

"Everybody's buried their heads in the sand," Mr Black said.

"We're at a stalemate with everybody it seems."

Scaffolding still surrounds the former Haven Bridge pub, which caught fire in March. - Credit: James Weeds

Mr Black said that over the past three months, nobody from the authorities had been in contact. He added that while the building owner had been in touch quite often, his insurance company were not willing to pay. 

"We did the right thing and we got shafted for it," Mr Black said.

A spokesperson from Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: "We cannot comment on individual cases but the primary responsibility for building safety, and any costs associated with it, is with the owner of the property."

Scaffolding was installed to protect the building's structure and to assist emergency services gain access to fire damaged building. - Credit: KB Scaffolding Services

On the day after the fire, Mr Black said he and his employees had a meeting with the building owner, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Norfolk Constabulary, Norfolk Fire and Rescue and a structural engineer.

"We were told they needed the scaffolding up immediately," Mr Black said.

"Also, the fire brigade and the police needed the building to be structurally safe, so they could go in and investigate.

"In our eyes, we were doing the right thing and it was a collective decision for us to put the scaffolding up. It's not true to say it's just down to the owner."

The owner of the former Haven Bridge pub said it is possible the building will be demolished. - Credit: James Weeds

The original licence for the scaffolding was in place until July 10, but it has since been extended to September.

Mr Black said his company had been asked to take down the scaffolding by the council, but Mr Black declined.

"We can't take it down because nobody has said the building is safe," Mr Black said. "It could cause the closure of Haven Bridge again if anything happened.

"Plus, my guys have got to go there and take that scaffolding down not knowing whether the building's going to collapse on us or not."

The crew from KB Scaffolding Services acted swiftly to install scaffolding around the fire damaged pub on Bridge Road. - Credit: KB Scaffolding Services

Mr Black added that even when putting the scaffolding up, his crew were risking their lives. However, as the bridge was still shut, it was a matter of emergency.

"Nobody's interested in talking about it now," Mr Black said.

"I don't know what they're expecting. The bill is £3,000 a week. Between them all, you would think they would have been in touch and tried to resolve the situation.

"The bill is already around £90,000 and it's going to keep escalating."

The charred remains of a pub roof destroyed by fire have been revealed in a series of pictures taken by drone. - Credit: Big Sky Photo

Mr Black said he and his crew are "sticking to their guns" until someone has paid for the scaffolding surrounding the building or accepted liability.

He also said that unless a resolution was reached soon, he would consider taking legal action.

"But we shouldn't have to be going down those roads," he said.

"When we started putting it up, it was more of a case of us doing the right thing and we expected everybody else to do the same."

The footpath is still closed by the Haven Bridge pub, which caught fire on March 25. - Credit: James Weeds

The building owner, Martin Bennington, said his insurers have continued to say they were not able to reach a settlement. Mr Bennington said if that remains the case, the building will likely be demolished.

A spokesperson for Norfolk County Council, who is responsible for highways and Norfolk Fire and Rescue, said they did not order the scaffolding and are not liable for any bills.

They also said the scaffolding is currently licenced until September 1 and Steam Mill Lane is due to remain closed until October 31.