REDDITCH'S calendar king is back - but there is not a roundabout in sight.

Resident Kevin Beresford, the man who bought the town's uninspiring roundabouts to the world, has produced a new calendar - Perished Pubs of Birmingham 2018.

It includes the oldest pub in Rubery, the Cock Inn, which has been mooted for demolition.

Built in 1811, it is believed to have been a base for local RAF officers during the Second World War, and is also thought to be haunted by a former landlord called Arthur Grimes.

It has been sitting vacant for the past three years.

Kevin, 65, said the calendar is a way of preserving a piece of history.

“The Cock Inn looked so wonderfully photogenic – a dilapidated watering hole posed an interesting juxtaposition, set before a pretty, pristine cloudless sky," he said.

“I knew at once that it would not only feature on my May page in my calendar, but would also grace the front cover page.”

Mr Beresford blames the recession, high tax on beer, the smoking ban, and cheaper alcohol in supermarkets on the demise of pubs like the Cock Inn.

He added: “Sadly, like most towns throughout Britain over the last decade or so, Birmingham has suffered with its pubs closing down left, right and centre.

“To my mind the local British pub is the fabric of all our city’s society.

“France and Holland treasure their café society, Spain it is their tapas bars, Germany boasts its beer gardens and Italy enjoy their wine bars.

“With the Brits we love our public houses - or we used to.

“The last decade or so has seen hundreds maybe thousands tragically shut down completely. Whatever the cause these pubs have gone and will not return.”

Mr Beresford found fame with his Roundabouts of Redditch calendar series in 2002 which took the country, and world, by storm.

That spawned spin-offs including Fast Disappearing Red Telephone Boxes of Wales 2014 and Roundabouts of Great Britain 2012.

Kevin’s 2018 calendar, priced at £10, can be purchased from Amazon and at roundaboutsofbritain.com.