Community leaders have agreed to send a “strongly worded letter” to the new owners of an east Suffolk village pub that was devastated by fire nearly two years ago.

Wickham Market Parish Council took the decision to contact the owners of the George Inn at its latest meeting this week.

The pub was severely damaged by a major fire in April 2013 and has been a bone of contention in the village ever since.

New owners bought the pub for £62,000 from Punch Taverns at an auction last year and were thought to have plans to reopen it along with holiday accommodation.

The parish council initially welcomed the sale and reported earlier this year that they expected plans to by submitted for its redevelopment in the near future.

Although there had been some dispute over the pub’s deeds, these were said to have been resolved.

Parish chairman Dick Jenkinson, speaking at Monday’s council meeting, said: “I had hoped that Suffolk Coastal District Council (SCDC) would have received a planning application by now.

“Unfortunately, nothing has been received yet.”

Mr Jenkinson said he would be writing to SCDC including a letter to be forwarded to the new owners, who remain unknown in the village.

Councillor Alan Biddle said the letter “needs to be strongly worded”.

“It’s about time we in the village knew what was going on,” he added.

“We don’t need to know any commercial secrets.”

A protection order was placed on the George Inn last year preventing its demolition and insisting it is kept as a pub after an investigation by the district council revealed parts of the building dated back to the medieval period.