BBC Radio Shropshire

Dozens of firefighters have been tackling a large fire a recycling plant this morning in Shropshire.

Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

Eight fire engines were called at 04:42 to the Granville Recycling Plant on Grange Lane, Redhill, near Telford, the fire service said. , external

Crews said residents living north of the M54 over Oakengates, Trench and Hadley should keep their windows and doors closed., external

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Councillors will have another say on the future of Shrewsbury's Clive of India statue when they meet next week.

Thousands of people have signed petitions calling for it to be removed, because of his prominent role in the colonial rule of India and Lib Dem councillor Roger Evans described him today as a "very unsavoury character".

But calls to move the statue have been turned down once already by councillors and the Conservative councillor Steve Charmley said: "The decision at the last council [meeting] was was pretty clear to take no further action and I don’t see any reason to change it.”

Image source, Getty Images

A scrutiny committee meeting which discussed the issue today voted by six votes to two in favour of taking no further action.

The matter, and a rival petition to keep the statue where it is, will be discussed by full council on 24 September.

Branches in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Ipswich, Shropshire and Wolverhampton are affected.

BBC Radio Shropshire

An archaeological dig within the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle is coming to an end today.

Over the past fortnight experts have been finding a lot of pottery, including this fragment of a drinking vessel featuring a man's face.

Some of the pottery dates back as far as the 12th Century and some of the items will have to be taken away for further examination.

The team now have to put all the soil back in the 1.5m-deep pit and replace the turf.

Four year groups are kept off school following a boarding pupil's coronavirus result.

Waitrose has announced it is closing its store in Shrewsbury town centre in December and selling its supermarket in Wolverhampton to Tesco.

It's also closing supermarkets at the Ipswich Corn Exchange and Caldicot in Wales, with the loss of 124 jobs in all.

The 140 staff at the Wolverhampton Waitrose will all be transferred to Tesco.

Image source, Google

A Waitrose spokesperson said: "We have found trading challenging in these four shops and, despite the best efforts of Partners [Waitrose staff], we have not been able to find a way to make them profitable in the long-term."

A discussion about the future of Shrewsbury's Clive of India statue is going to take place today.

More than 13,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to be removed, because of Robert Clive's involvement in Imperial rule in India and it's been suggested it should be moved to the town's museum instead.

Image source, Getty Images

A counter petition was also signed by more than 8,000 people, saying removing it would erase part of the town's history.

Shropshire Council's scrutiny committee will consider a report and then make a recommendation which will then be debated by the full council.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The demolition of Shrewsbury's Riverside shopping centre could get underway in the new year.

Shropshire Council wants to knock it down, along with the medical practice, multi-storey car park, bus station and footbridge, to make way for a new development with flats, offices, a hotel, restaurants and ships.

The authority has been held up by legal issues over rights of way, getting utilities connected and by the coronavirus outbreak.

It believes the project could take two or three years.

There's no balloon festival in Telford this year, but people are being encouraged to look to the skies for the next best thing.

A mass balloon launch has been organised from a number of secret locations so people can see them from their homes.

Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council

Last year, more than 50,000 people turned out for the event in the town park.

The balloons will be launched during the mornings and evenings this weekend.

Don Fear becomes the first person to win the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire jackpot in 14 years.

Don Fear became the first person to win the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire jackpot in 14 years.

Shropshire Council hopes selling its Shirehall headquarters will provide £10m to transform Pride Hill.

The attacker is described as having a "distinctive" octopus tattoo on his right shoulder.

Portsmouth made a disappointing start to their League One campaign after being held to a goalless draw at home by Shrewsbury.

Donald Fear is the first person to win the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire jackpot in 14 years.

Care homes in the Telford area are being warned they might want to restrict visits.

The warning has come from the borough's director of public health, Liz Noakes, after the number of cases per 100,000 people rose to 15.6 for the seven days to 7 September.

Image source, Getty Images

Her letter to care homes said a “number of care homes” in the borough were being affected by infections in staff and residents.

People in Lawley, Telford, who have complained their homes are being damaged by work on a new housing estate have been told it is all being done in accordance with planning consent.

The Shropshire residents believe the problem is being caused by underground work to make the common safe for 600 new homes, but The Lawley Village Developer Group said it was being closely monitored and measures were in place to "keep inconvenience to a minimum".

Image source, Google

Telford and Wrekin Council has said it has carried out enforcement action where necessary, to keep roads clean and to stop material being brought into the site without permission.

It said it was also monitoring the work.

A proposal to introduce elected mayors for rural areas is 'not wanted', the leader of Telford and Wrekin Council has said.

The Ministry for Local Government has suggested those parts of the country could elect mayors to directly lobby Westminster for funding and more proposals are due to be outlined in the autumn.

Labour's Shaun Davies said: "I don't think anyone's asking for another layer of politicians in this country and what we do need is the councils to be trusted with our local areas, resourced by the government."

Big families react as they are told gatherings of more than six will be banned in England from Monday.

The Ludlow Food Festival starts today but this year it is online.

The annual event usually attracts about 20,000 visitors.

Image source, Ashleigh Cadet

Shropshire chefs Marcus Bean and Adam Purnell are hosting online cooking demonstrations, tastings and chatting to producers.