DOZENS of passionate campaigners descended on Marston's headquarters to protest against plans that would see their Sedgley local turned into a convenience store.

Armed with placards, a coach load of punters from The Seven Stars travelled to Wolverhampton yesterday (Thursday), to send a strong message to the firm that they would fight the plans to the bitter end.

Customers are outraged after the Planning Inspectorate overturned Dudley Council’s decision to refuse planning permission to extend the pub on Gospel End Road as part of proposals to turn it into a Morrisons food store, despite a successful campaign to secure the pub Asset of Community Value (ACV) status.

Speaking at the protest, pub regular Joy Bills said: “We want to save the Seven Stars because it is a community pub.

“It is where we all gather, socialise and have a nice drink, have food and have charity events.”

Campaigner Martin Day added: “Around 2,500 people said they wanted to keep the pub, two out of three of local councillors said they wanted to keep the pub, the MP said he wanted to keep the pub and the MEP said he wanted to keep the pub.

“How can the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol defy local democracy?”

Sedgley ward councillor Bill Etheridge, said: “The protest was about Sedgley and the wider community coming together to fight against big corporations, who it appears do not give a damn about what local people think.

“We have gone through all the usual democratic processes, which at every local stage ruled against the supermarket – this was until the Bristol-based Planning Inspectorate got involved and overruled all the local democratically-made decisions."

The West Midlands MEP added: “We will fight on to save the Seven Stars. I am going to see the chief executive of Marston’s and when that meeting comes he had better get ready for it, both barrels, as we are not going to put up with this.”