A man whose car smashed into an electricity pole at Hanwood, near Shrewsbury, remained in a critical condition in hospital today. The 20-year-old driver suffered a life-threatening head injury.

He was cut free from the car after the crash on the A488 outside the Cock Inn on Saturday.

He was taken to the intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where his condition was today said to be critical.

His passenger, believed to be in his 20s, is in a stable condition in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Meanwhile, two people were taken to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital today after a two-car smash that caused rush-hour delays near the Ironbridge Gorge.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said the collision happened at 8.15am at Buildwas Bank, on the A4169 Much Wenlock Road.

“We sent two ambulances to the scene and took two pa- tients to hospital as a preca- ution,” said a spokeswoman.

“A woman in her 40s from one car was shaken up and had pain across her chest.

“A man in his 50s who was in the other car had no visual injuries but was in shock.”

A man, 25, of Gnosall, Sta- ffordshire, was said to be st- able today with a serious he- ad injury after his Vauxhall Corsa ploughed into a tree on the edge of Newport at about 9.20pm on Sunday on the A518 by Aqualate Park.

He was taken to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire at Stoke.