Summary

  • Woman found dead after bungalows fire

  • Further arrests following drugs raids

  • Telford sign Shrewsbury goalkeeper on loan

  • Updates on Friday 24 February

  1. Storm Doris: Over 4,000 homes without powerpublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    More than 4,000 homes are without power in Shropshire because of damage caused by Storm Doris.

    Western Power Distribution, external says it is dealing with 42 incidents in the county at the moment.

    Power line
  2. Man arrested on suspicion of rape in pub car parkpublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    A 28-year-old man from Bridgnorth has been arrested on suspicion of rape after an incident in a pub car park in the early hours of Sunday morning. 

    The victim, a woman in her 50s, told police she was attacked at the back of The Falcon pub in the town between 01:30 and 02:30.

    Falcon pubImage source, Google
  3. Storm Doris: High winds causing disruption all over Shropshirepublished at 11:47 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Fallen branches are closing a number of roads around the county and the fire service had to cut two people out of their car on the A49, near Church Stretton, when a tree landed on them at 09:30.

    The wind has also been causing problems for bin collections and throwing around loose objects, like this trampoline in Telford.

    Trampoline in gardenImage source, Mandy Sutton
  4. Storm Doris: RAF Shawbury grounds helicopterspublished at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    RAF Shawbury has decided to keep its helicopters on the ground today, until Storm Doris passes.

    The helicopter flying school says all its aircraft are being kept in their hangars and it has recorded wind speeds of up to 63mph so far.

    RAF ShawburyImage source, RAF Shawbury
  5. Midlands Air Ambulance grounded by Storm Dorispublished at 11:27 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    The Midlands Air Ambulance has been grounded by the high winds, so take care while Storm Doris continues to take hold.

    The charity that runs the helicopter says the aircrew will still be on shift, using rapid response vehicles to attend incidents.

    Midlands Air Ambulance
  6. Travel: Trains between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton affected by stormpublished at 11:19 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    BBC Travel

    Debris on the railway line has prompted Arriva Trains Wales and London Midland to cancel services between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

    The operators are providing buses instead.

  7. No action over pool petitionpublished at 11:10 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    A petition with 1,290 signatures which calls for Church Stretton swimming pool to be safeguarded has been seen by Shropshire Councillors, but they have voted to take no action.

    The councillor responsible for leisure, Stuart West, told the meeting the authority could no longer afford to pay for the pool's upkeep by itself.

    Swimming poolImage source, Google

    One of the councillors for the area, Lee Chapman, told the meeting he'd be embarking on a 300-mile cycle trip to raise money for the pool.

  8. Storm Doris: Fallen tree being cleared from A49published at 11:04 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    The emergency services are dealing with a tree which has fallen across the A49 between Church Stretton and Shrewsbury.

    They're advising people to stay indoors if they can.

    Tree on roadImage source, West Mercia Police
  9. Swimming pool petition to be discussedpublished at 10:33 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    A petition calling for Church Stretton's swimming pool to remain open to the public will be discussed by Shropshire councillors today.

    Over 1,000 people have signed the petition.

    SwimmerImage source, Getty Images

    The centre is expected to close under the authority's sports and leisure facilities strategy, unless an outside organisation takes it on.

  10. Storm Doris: Tree blocks A49 as storm blows through Shropshirepublished at 10:16 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    The A49 between Church Stretton and Shrewsbury has been closed by a fallen tree - winds of over 60mph have been bringing down branches all over the county.

    Media caption,

    Winds of over 60mph have been blowing through Shropshire

  11. Football: Hurst says injured Ogogo can still help Townpublished at 10:07 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    James Bond
    Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

    Abu Ogogo could miss the remainder of Shrewbsury Town's League One season with a knee injury, but his manager says he won't be forgotten.

    Ogogo has been a key player as Paul Hurst's side have moved out of and away from the relegation zone.

    Abu OgogoImage source, Rex Features
    Quote Message

    He's still got a smile on his face, he's got a laugh that's quite contagious and makes people smile and we want him to still be around."

    Paul Hurst, Shrewsbury Town manager

  12. Tax rises set to be approved by councilspublished at 09:47 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Mark Elliott
    Reporter, BBC Shropshire

    The cabinets of Shropshire's two councils both meet today to agree council tax increases for April.

    Shropshire Council will put its rate up by nearly 4%, while Telford and Wrekin Council will increase theirs by 3.2%. 

    Council tax will go up each year for the next three years to help pay for care for elderly people. 

    Telford and Wrekin's Labour councillor in charge of finance, Lee Carter, admits residents are now faced with a "sizeable bill".

    MoneyImage source, Getty Images
    Quote Message

    The 3.2% will mean roughly about £45 per year on the average property in Telford and Wrekin. We set that out for three years - we thought it was only fair to set a council tax policy for a number of years so people knew where they stood."

    Lee Carter, Telford and Wrekin councillor

  13. Storm Doris: Flood alerts issuedpublished at 09:13 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Tim Page
    News Editor, BBC Shropshire

    Flood alerts have been issued for the Rivers Severn and Vyrnwy, external.

    River levels are expected to peak near Llanymynech this afternoon and in Shrewsbury tomorrow afternoon. 

    The Environment Agency is not currently predicting flooding in Ironbridge or Bridgnorth.

    Flood signImage source, Getty Images
  14. Travel: Trains replaced by buses between Machynlleth and Shrewsburypublished at 08:54 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    BBC Travel

    A replacement bus service is in operation between Machynlleth and Shrewsbury after a vehicle struck a bridge. It'll be in place until 09:15.

    Services are also suspended between Wolverhampton and Birmingham International between 09:10 and 11:27 due to Storm Doris with 50mph speed restrictions imposed at a number of locations in Wales, resulting in possible delays of up to 15 minutes.

  15. Storm Doris carries the threat of affecting power lines and some train services are cancelledpublished at 08:34 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Elizabeth Glinka
    BBC Midlands Today

    Storm Doris is on the way, with strong winds expected to hit parts of the West Midlands. 

    Gusts of up to 60mph are expected - with gusts of 70-80mph expected on higher ground. 

    Transport is expected to be disrupted, with some train services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton cancelled this morning, including Arriva Trains Wales services. 

    Forecasters are warning Doris could damage buildings and affect power lines. 

  16. More than 50 motorists are driving on Shropshire's roads with 12 penalty points or morepublished at 08:32 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Nick Southall
    Journalist, BBC Shropshire

    Fifty-eight motorists are still allowed to drive on Shropshire's roads, despite clocking up 12 penalty points or more on their licenses.

    Campaigners say 12 points should mean a mandatory ban.

    Figures from the DVLA, reveal that one person in the county has 24 points, while another in West Sussex has 62.

    Driving

    The courts have the power to issue bans for a minimum of six months for motorists with 12 points, but that power isn't always enforced. 

    A ban can be avoided if a person can prove that receiving one would result in "exceptional hardship".  

  17. Watch: High winds on the way as Storm Doris moves inpublished at 08:15 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Charlie Slater
    BBC Weather presenter

    Severe gales will blow across the Midlands today. 

    The worst of the rain will be first thing in the morning but gales will continue all day. 

    Gusts of 60mph are likely in the cities and valleys, and 80mph on hills.  Highs of 8C (46F).

    Media caption,

    Weather for the West Midlands.

  18. Welcome to BBC Local Live for Shropshirepublished at 08:00 Greenwich Mean Time 23 February 2017

    Mark Elliott
    Reporter, BBC Shropshire

    Good morning. We're in the BBC Shropshire newsroom to bring you the latest news, sport, travel and weather. 

    If you'd like to get in touch you can email us, tweet , externalus or comment on our Facebook, external page. 

  19. Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 22 February 2017

    We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

  20. MP urges women to make more use of rural maternity unitspublished at 17:55 Greenwich Mean Time 22 February 2017

    The Ludlow MP, Philip Dunne, is urging women to make more use of rural maternity units like the ones in Bridgnorth and Ludlow.

    After a meeting with NHS managers, Mr Dunne said "increasing the number of births at each location is important to help secure their long term future".

    Philip Dunne

    The MP is asking mums who have had babies at the midwife-led units to share their happy experiences, to encourage other women to use the facilities.

    He says births and antenatal appointments at Ludlow have fallen over the past five years, but have risen in Bridgnorth.

    Quote Message

    In order to be viable and to retain quality committed midwives, our midwife-led units need to have more babies born in our community hospitals each year, to improve upon the average of one or two per week."

    Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow