The piano tuner who discovered gold sovereigns inside an old piano in Bishop's Castle said he initially thought they were packages of mothballs.

Martin Backhouse explained he removed the keyboard whilst tuning it, because the keys were "too stiff and sluggish", but said he could understand why nobody had done this before, because there were no major issues with the way it sounded.

Image source, Trustees of the British Museum

Mr Backhouse said when he made the discovery, "my mind was just boggling. I've never come across anything like this in my whole life".

He also said people had asked him why he didn't keep the discovery to himself, but he said "that wasn't right" and that he wanted to help the college as much as he could.

Spare a thought for the family who donated their piano to Bishop's Castle Community College last November, unaware that it contained over 900 gold coins.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme believe the piano was first purchased by two men from Saffron Walden in Essex in 1906 - they were music teachers and piano tuners.

What happened after that is unclear, but it was bought by a Mr and Mrs Hemmings in Saffron Walden in 1983, so they could teach their children to play and they moved to Shropshire in the late 1990s.

Last year, the college asked for donations of musical instruments and the Hemming family donated their piano, to enable children to carry on learning.

According to the 1996 Treasure Act, the Hemming family will receive nothing.

Police have confirmed that a body found near Billingsley last month was that of the missing farmer Andrew Green.

The 33-year-old from Chorley, near Bridgnorth, disappeared last June and an appeal was made for people to scour the countryside, looking for him.

Image source, Green family

His family revealed earlier that that DNA tests had confirmed the body was his and an inquest will open on 25 April.  

The Tannery car park in the centre of Shrewsbury will close on Sunday, to allow workmen to start building student accommodation there.

Shropshire Council will also be demolishing the former study centre to build the accommodation for students attending the University Centre Shrewsbury - an offshoot of the University of Chester.

Image source, Google

The council says it is making the move because it is expecting student numbers to increase over the coming years.

Shropshire Live

DNA results have confirmed that a body found in woods is that of Andrew Green who went missing from near Bridgnorth last year, external.

Piano tuner Martin Backhouse was the man who found the hoard of gold sovereigns inside a piano at Bishop's Castle Community College.

On 21 November last year he was invited to tune four pianos which had been recently donated to the college and he found a number of packages beneath the keyboard, wrapped in cardboard from a Shredded Wheat advertising board, dating from between 1926 and 1946.

Image source, Portable Antiquities Scheme

After finding the coins, the college and Mr Backhouse got in touch with the Shropshire’s finds liaison officer, to report their discovery and because the original owners remain unknown - they will now share a reward if the coins are sold.

The hoard of gold coins found inside a Shropshire piano is the largest collection of sovereigns ever found and weighs over 6kg (13lbs) a coroner has heard.

The Portable Antiquities Scheme, a group which records finds like this, said the coins were found by a piano tuner under the keyboard, stitched into seven cloth-bound packets and a leather drawstring purse.

Image source, Trustees of the British Museum

The organisation believes they were deliberately hidden, to be recovered at a later date.

The inquest heard 50 people came forward laying claim to the hoard of gold sovereigns.

However, coroner John Ellery ruled their true owner remained unknown and that there was sufficient evidence to declare the find treasure.

The sovereigns are believed to have been hidden inside the piano since 1915 - the date on the youngest coin. 

Image source, TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM

A hoard of 913 gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns found hidden inside a piano has been declared treasure by a coroner.

The instrument was originally made in Essex in 1906 and the hoard was found by a piano tuner under the keyboard, whilst it was being tuned at Bishop's Castle Community College, in Shropshire.

Image source, PA

The coroner ruled that as the original owners couldn't be found, it would become the property of the Crown and any reward would be split between the piano tuner and the college.

A charity that encourages young people to learn road safety before they can drive has been invited to run sessions in Telford, Hereford and Worcester.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said he had asked the Under 17 Car Club to provide places for 1,000 teenagers over the next four years.

Image source, West Mercia PCC

The classes have been running over Easter and are also scheduled for the October half term holidays.

An eight-year-old Minsterley boy has given up his birthday and Christmas money to buy bags full of essential items for homeless people.

Noah Payne is calling them "blessing bags".

Shropshire Star

A care home has been told it needs to improve, external after inspectors found residents were “ at risk of potential harm”.

When farmer Andrew Green went missing in September last year he'd been working through the night to harvest the family farm. 

His dad, Edward Green (pictured below), had been working with his son on his farm and on about 100 acres of land through contract harvesting. 

When the appeal to find Andrew was launched, the family received offers via social media to help harvest their remaining 60 acres. 

The family said they'd received messages of help and support from locals as well as people from as far away as Australia. 

The trust that run's Shropshire's two main hospitals has clarified where women and children's services would be, should plans to reorganise the hospitals go ahead. 

It's in response to Telford's Conservative MP Lucy Allen who said she's received assurances that Telford would not lose its women and children's unit. 

Image source, SATH

The chief executive of the trust, Simon Wright, said both sites would have services including a midwife-led unit and children's outpatients. 

However only one would have consultant-led maternity and paediatrics - and that would be wherever the emergency centre ends up. 

At the moment the trust would prefer that to be in Shrewsbury, due to provision for trauma care. 

BBC Sport

Shrewsbury Town players say fans can help make the difference on the pitch as the club fights to stay in League One. 

There are two games to go, starting with Southend at the Greenhous Meadow this weekend. 

Mat Sadler felt the support at Northampton really helped them to a precious point on Monday - and is calling for more of the same.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Midlands Today

An ex-prisoner who shot to notoriety as one of only two men ever to escape from Shrewsbury's prison has been back behind bars.

Walter Groom escaped in 1961 - he was on the run for six days. 

But he's been back to the former jail to explain how he's to become a tour guide for a day to talk about his great escape. 

And you can catch up with Walter on 1 May when he's back at the jail to give guided tours as part of a special history day at the former Shrewsbury Prison.  

A treasure inquest returns to Shrewsbury today with experts hoping to find the rightful owners of gold found hidden inside a piano. 

The instrument was originally made in Essex in 1906, but was more recently bought by a Shropshire family, who discovered the hoard just before Christmas. 

Image source, Portable Antiquities Scheme

Earlier this year, a month's deadline was set for someone to come forward and claim the gold sovereigns and avoid it become the property of the crown.

BBC News Travel

Slow traffic has been reported on the A53, which is partially blocked westbound at Newcastle Road.

It's after an accident between Loggerheads and Market Drayton. 

DNA results have confirmed that a body found in woods near Bridgnorth last month was that of missing farmer Andrew Green. 

The update was shared on a Facebook page, external - set up after his disappearance.

Image source, Green Family

Mr Green, 33, was last seen driving away from Yew Tree Farm in Chorley, near Bridgnorth, on 22 June. 

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

After a cloudy and mild start to the day with some light drizzle, we can expect a dry day with highs of 15C (59F).

You can find a detailed forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.