It’s a falsehood people. Come on. Image circulating on Facebook.

Right people – it’s not often I’m moved to do this sort of thing but there’s a hoax spreading rapidly via Facebook at the moment and it’s gained such legs that I’ve been inundated with email about it – McDonalds HAVE NOT announced they’re opening, or coming soon, to the site of the Rising Sun pub in Brownhills West.

Last week a photoshopped image – shown above – was posted on local facebook groups as a wind up. The banner is clearly false and the picture is not current – it was actually taken by Brownhills historian and old mate of the blog David Hodgkinson. You can see the original below.

David said:

It wasn’t me!

Thanks to everyone who pointed out that the Rising Sun McDonalds sign is a spoof – but that’s my original photo. First I wondered if I should feel violated and sue but very soon the ego took over and I just think ‘Coo! Someone has actually found a use for one of my photos’.

The Creative Commons I use includes rights to ‘Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material’. I need to find one that forbids use that is illegal, fraudulent or attempts to dupe the public!

Whilst I respect and admire the guile and cunning of the windup (and let’s face it I’m still getting angry emails about the wind farm on the common so I’m not above being a tosser in this regard myself) the volume of contact I’ve had over the weekend has led me to this post: McDonalds do not (nor do anyone else) have any current plans lodged with the council to do anything with the Rising Sun site and at this moment in time (23rd April 2018) this rumour is UTTERLY FALSE.

So please stop sending me the image and being all angry. Cheers.

I hope a use can be found for the site, and to be honest, I could see a Drive Through of some sort working there if the access can be sorted safely. But I think any such thing is a long way off.

I tried contacting Dick Turpin’s agent for comment, but he was unavailable, presumed hiding in a secret tunnel near Stonnall.

The original image, by David Hodgkinson from just after last year’s fire.