Police officer from Telford who downloaded child porn is sacked
Shropshire's A&E departments have busiest day of the year so far
Number of fly-tipping incidents in Shropshire falls
Updates on Friday 10 March 2017
Carlie Swain
BBC Local Live
The BBC One show DIY SOS has wrapped up work on its latest project in Telford today.
The crew's been in Trench for the past 10 days renovating the home of 12-year-old Matthew Cooper who's spent over a year in hospital fighting a brain tumour.
DIY SOS and a team of volunteers have finished making improvements to a house in Telford
Work on a new medical practice for Shifnal could start in March next year.
A public meeting organised by the Shifnal Forward community group heard that it would be a two-storey building with more than 50 car parking spaces, on land set aside by developers on the new Haughton Road estate.
The existing medical practice will remain open until the new one is complete.
A bid for funding has been made to NHS England, and it said today the application is still "undergoing a series of detailed checks before a final decision is taken".
The photos of the caves underneath a field at Caynton have been getting lots of interest on BBC Radio Shropshire's Facebook page., external
Gloria Mascow from Canada was very excited, writing, "Absolutley amazing. I would love to travel to England just to see these caves."
Image source, CatersOther people were having a bit of fun with the story. David Taylor wrote: "Exactly how big are the rabbits in Shropshire?"
And the suggestion that it could have been home to an order of knights led others to make references to the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Mal Knight wrote: "I'd be careful going down that rabbit hole especially if you do not possess The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch."
The British Dragonfly Society is asking for help in counting numbers, external of one particular breed in Shropshire.
It says the Common Clubtail can be found up and down the River Severn, even in Shrewsbury town centre, but numbers have been falling.
Volunteers will be allocated a survey area and be asked to carry out a minimum of three visits between May and July, walking along the river bank looking for the Common Clubtail or its skin cast.
Shrewsbury Chronicle
Plans to build a 35-bedroom hotel on the outskirts of Shrewsbury have been withdrawn., external
A set of caves underneath a field near Shifnal have been photographed by a man who said they looked like an "underground temple".
Image source, CatersMichael Scott went to photograph the Caynton caves after seeing a video of them online and said he had to access them via a narrow "rabbit hole".
Image source, CatersHistoric England, external , which first catalogued them in 1984, describes the caves as a "grotto" and believes they were probably built in the late 18th or early 19th Century.
Image source, CatersNewport isn't the only place getting money from the government today - it has also announced another £1.9m to help restore Shrewsbury's flax mill.
The money will be used to develop the land surrounding the derelict building and improve access and that's on top of the £20m it's had from the Heritage Lottery Fund in recent years.
Image source, Historic EnglandAnd nearly £3m will fund training projects in a number of local colleges including North Shropshire, Derwen and Telford.
We've seen photos of blue skies from all around Shropshire today.
These ones were taken in Church Stretton (top) and Llanymynech (below) by BBC Weather Watchers.
Image source, Carreghofa Bob
Image source, Carreghofa BobThe chancellor was in the West Midlands this morning as the government set out its plans for the so-called Midlands Engine.
Philip Hammond was revealing where an investment of £392m will be spent.
University Centre Shrewsbury is offering you the chance to study Rural Health.
The one-year masters course will look at the challenges of delivering health care to rural communities.
The first intake of students will start in September this year.
Market Drayton Advertiser
Market Drayton is looking to tackle an ongoing problem with boy racers by hosting its second drivers’ event., external
Changes to surgery guidelines, aimed at reducing the number of operations carried out, have been defended by the chair of Shropshire's Clinical Commissioning Group.
Dr Julian Povey said "they are not cuts, it's about making sure we use resources wisely" and explained the CCG is "shifting focus to earlier prevention" and giving people greater access to physiotherapy to manage their conditions.
Image source, ThinkstockThe CCG has been using a measure of pain, known as the Oxford Scoring System, for a number of years, to determine when a patient needs hip and knee surgery, but it wants to reduce spending on operations for other conditions by cutting out what it sees as "unnecessary operations".
Dr Povey said that it has been accepted for some time that not everyone needs their tonsils or appendices removing and that NHS guidelines are always changing as medical thinking evolves.
Quote MessageI'm not ashamed to say practice has changed because practice is constantly evolving and improving, but our policies are in line with NICE. It's to ensure the right people get seen and that we can make the best use of the total resources we have."
Dr Julian Povey , Chair of Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group
BBC Midlands Today
On Midlands Today this lunchtime - the chancellor Philip Hammond's been in the region today to unveil the government's strategy for the Midlands Engine.
Image source, PAOn the day after he delivered the Budget, he's promising nearly £400m towards skills, transport and economic growth.
From 13:30 on BBC One we'll be looking at where all the money's gone and whether it will deliver what ministers claim it will.
Thieves have used a mechanical digger to smash their way into an Indian takeaway in Alveley and take a cash machine early this morning.
The police say the raid took place at around 02:40 and four men were seen using the digger to get into the business on Cooks Cross.
Image source, @BridgnorthCopsThey say the men left the scene in a light-coloured pick up truck and are asking if people have seen people acting suspiciously in the village in recent days.
A Telford boy who has been receiving treatment for a brain tumour is finding out what the BBC's DIY SOS team have done to his house.
They've spent the last 10 days making improvements to the building, to make it suitable for Matthew Cooper to return to.
Work on Newport's £9m enterprise site could begin next year, on land just off the A518, near the Audley Avenue junction, Telford and Wrekin Council says.
The announcement of funding has been welcomed by the vice chancellor of Harper Adams University, Dr David Llewellyn, who said it will be a boost to the agri-food industry locally.
Image source, Telford and Wrekin CouncilThe leader of Telford and Wrekin Council, Shaun Davies, said it would also support high tech companies, "creating high value employment".
Quote MessageNot only will this development bring the potential for new jobs and economic growth, but it will also support research and innovation for the agri-food industry, a theme that will feature strongly in the UK’s food and farming strategy."
Dr David Llewellyn , Vice Chancellor, Harper Adams University
Mike Taylor
BBC WM
Chancellor Philip Hammond has increased National Insurance bills for self-employed people in the spring budget.
The number of self-employed workers has increased notably in the West Midlands in recent years.
Most recent figures, released only last month, show the figure has risen by 14% in five years and working men in the West Midlands are about twice as likely to be self-employed as women.
So these changes will affect hundreds of thousands of people in our area, and more men than women.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A man has been banned from keeping sheep for life and given a suspended prison sentence after admitting animal neglect in Staffordshire.
The county council says it had to seize 90 sheep from a field in Knighton, external , near Adbaston, last summer because they were in such a poor state.
Image source, Staffordshire County CouncilKevin Allman, 43, from Hadnall, Shropshire was charged with 20 offences of animal neglect and by-product offences and pleaded guilty to 16 of them.
The other four were withdrawn at the North Staffordshire Justice Centre and Allman was given an 18-week prison sentence, suspended for two years and the ban.
Sarah Bishop
BBC Midlands Today
More babies die before their first birthday here in the West Midlands than in any other part of the country, according to latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.
Image source, MILLA KONTKANENHealth professionals are trying to reduce the number of deaths by 20% by 2021.
Often no-one knows for sure why this is happening. Maternity services are being overhauled and Finnish-style baby boxes are being handed out to expectant mothers - Finland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.
The Lily Mae Foundation, based in Balsall Common, offers supports parents who have lost a baby to stillbirth or to neonatal death.
Newport is going to get £9.3m to create a new business park and Telford and Wrekin Council says it could create up to 950 jobs.
The money is coming from the government's Midlands Engine programme, Telford and Wrekin Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and contributions from developers.
The council says the site, just off the A518, will provide space for a range of new firms including start-up businesses.
