VANDAL property developers were ordered by a council yesterday to rebuild a pub that they illegally demolished — just weeks after the Star called for exactly that.

Regulars at the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale, west London, thought they had won a reprieve in January when Westminster Council threw out an application to replace the pub with flats.

But on April 8 customers and staff were turfed out by a demolition hit squad who claimed they were closing the pub for stocktaking. 

They immediately set about knocking it down — without even clearing it of furniture or the drinks behind the bar.

English Heritage was considering listing the building at the time of the demolition.

The debacle was investigated by Morning Star columnist Peter Frost for a feature earlier this month.

And yesterday Tory-run Westminster announced that Israel-based owners CLTX Ltd would indeed be required to reconstruct the pub brick by brick.

A report from Westminster director of planning John Walker said: “An asset which was a listable heritage asset has been demolished in breach of planning control.

“In these circumstances it is not considered that other lesser steps are possible to address the harm other than to require complete rebuilding.”

CLTX will be required to “recreate in facsimile the building as it stood immediately prior to its demolition.” The corporation is appealing the ruling.