Ian Perry
BBC Radio Shropshire

Shropshire Council dog wardens have started using stencils and spray cans to warn dog owners to pick up their pet's poo.

They are using them to mark the pavement with a warning of the fine they face if they don't.

Telford and Wrekin Council is marking poo on footpaths with yellow spray, whilst other parts of the county are using blue or purple sprays.

The staff shortages in Shropshire's two accident and emergency departments can't continue, the chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust has warned once more.

But, Simon Wright said it had been impossible to bring in more consultants on substantive contracts, saying the last one joined nearly four years ago, despite several rounds of adverts.

He insists applicants aren't being put off by the pay on offer - some current staff are understood to be paid well over the going rate.

Rather, Mr Wright says there is a vicious circle, with consultants unwilling to join because the shortage of staff means they have to work longer hours and more weekends - and that has caused a shortage of staff.

Mr Wright said the hospitals were well below the suggested staffing levels at the moment and that the county can only man one A&E properly.

He wants to have just one trauma centre in the county, saying the evidence from elsewhere in the country was that centralising care leads to better survival rates.

Four people arrested on suspicion of murder after a taxi driver died when his car hit a tree are released on bail.

The two men and two women arrested on suspicion of the murder of a taxi driver in Telford have been released, while investigations continue.

The Go Carz driver died after his car hit a tree in Madeley on Monday night and police are investigating reports he'd been involved in an argument with the occupants of another car.

The police are still appealing for people who saw the red Skoda Octavia taxi and a silver Peugeot 307 travelling along Park Avenue, Park Street, Ironbridge Road and then Madeley Road.

The MP for the Wrekin says he wants the plans to reconfigure hospital services in the county looked at again, external by a national NHS body.

Mark Pritchard is unhappy with the recently published independent review into the Future Fit process, questioning whether it was truly independent and said the NHS needed to go "back to the drawing board" with its plans.

Mr Pritchard also blamed the hospital trust management for the staff shortages in accident and emergency, saying they haven't been pro-active enough in recruiting consultants.

But he finished by saying a decision on the future of the hospitals is needed sooner rather than later.

Ian Perry
BBC Radio Shropshire

A mock-up of a military field hospital has been set up outside Telford's Princess Royal Hospital today

The aim is to show people how they work and get people interested in becoming reservists.

It has previously been camped out at Oswestry's orthopaedic hospital and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Shrewsbury Town midfielder Bryn Morris faces six weeks out with a knee injury that requires surgery.

The new operator of rail services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham is promising a number of improvements, external for Shropshire passengers.

West Midlands Trains says it will run extra services, so there will be a train every half hour from Monday to Saturday and that the new trains will stop at Shrewsbury, Wellington, Telford and Shifnal as a minimum.

Some trains might make more stops in the county.

A new hourly Sunday service has also been promised and that will increase to two services per hour by May 2021.

On top of that, it says its network as a whole will get 80 new carriages from 2020 and that existing carriages will be refurbished.

And there will be no loss of services to the stations in Oakengates, Cosford and Albrighton, the DfT says.

The ongoing battle over where hospital services are based in the future won't affect the relationship between the hospital trust and Telford and Wrekin Council, the hospitals chief executive has said.

The local authority has opposed a recommendation to move emergency care and women and children's services from Telford to Shrewsbury and recently passed a vote of no confidence in the hospital leadership.

But, speaking on BBC Radio Shropshire this morning, Simon Wright said: "It's natural that people will want to fight their corner and that's what we're seeing." and that he hoped everyone will get behind the final decision, when it is made.

He also said they "work very closely with all the team in the council" on a daily basis, and that the working relationship between the hospitals and the council had been unaffected by the row.

Shropshire Live

Shrewsbury Flower Show is bringing flowers, fireworks and entertainment to the Quarry Park in Shrewsbury this Friday and Saturday, external.

BBC Midlands Today

On Midlands Today this lunchtime, we'll have more on the news that a new rail operator has been awarded a contract to run the West Midlands rail franchise.

West Midlands Trains Ltd will take over routes currently operated by London Midland from December.

We'll hear what they are promising to deliver for passengers from 13:30 on BBC One.

James Bond
Sports Producer, BBC Shropshire

Shrewsbury Town have lost midfielder Bryn Morris to injury, probably until the end of September.

He needs an operation on a knee injury he picked up in the pre-season friendly, which has got progressively worse.

Image source, Getty Images

Telford's £28m women and children's centre has been a success since it opened in 2014, the chief executive of the Shrewsbury and Teford Hospital Trust says.

Simon Wright added that "having that facility has helped us with our staffing and recruitment, so I wouldn't say that the county has suffered by that decision at all".

The recommendation of a hospital review is that it should be moved to Shrewsbury and Simon Wright went on to say the mistake had been to "see women and children's as a stand alone issue" and that "all of the healthcare professionals" have said the women and children's centre should be on the same site as emergency and intensive care.

The plans that have been put forward would have emergency and intensive care based in Shrewsbury.

Shropshire Star

An MP today launched a blistering attack on Shropshire’s Future Fit NHS review, external, saying it is “fundamentally flawed”.

There are plans to tell the story of Worcestershire's first car number plate and its association with West Mercia Police.

The AB1 plate has been bought by former chief constable Paul West at an auction to raise funds for the force.

Mr West says he paid £160,000 because he didn't want it sold to someone outside the county "with no connection to policing".

A rare number plate owned by West Mercia Police has been sold to a former chief constable of the force, Paul West, for £160,000.

The AB1 registration was the first to be issued in Worcestershire and was used by chief constables up until 2011, when it was withdrawn from use because of concerns it was a security risk made the car easily identifiable.

Image source, Bromsgrove School/BBC

The decision to sell it was made by the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, who said the money would be put back into policing.

The reorganisation of hospital services in Shrewsbury and Telford could move a step closer this evening, with health commissioners due to decide whether to put the plans out for public consultation.

When they last met, in December, they couldn't agree, with all the Shropshire members of the committee voting to move ahead and the Telford members voting to pause.

This time there will be a three independent members on the committee, to prevent a deadlock - two consultants and the head of the Walsall Clinincal Commissioning Group.

BBC Weather Watchers

We're seeing some photos of sunshine from the BBC Weather Watchers this morning.

A rare sight this month.

These photos were taken in Shrewsbury and Longnor.

Image source, Hari

Image source, Peter Steggles

Shropshire Star

An out-of-hours GP service is looking to renegotiate its contracts with Shropshire’s community health trust, saying it faces serious financial challenges, external.

Rail passengers are promised longer trains with more seats as part of the deal that will see West Midlands Trains take over London Midland services.

The new operator - which takes over in December - has pledged to introduce about 400 carriages with space for an extra 85,000 passengers on rush hour trains. That's set to be rolled out by 2021.

Image source, West Midlands Rail

Announcing the change, the Department for Transport said compensation would be paid to passengers delayed by 15 minutes or more.

Outgoing operator London Midland said a new long-term franchise meant further investment could now be made in the region’s rail network.