Councillors and business leaders from across north Shropshire are calling for better transport, a bigger police presence and improved town centre buildings to boost the district’s market towns.

The call comes after council representatives and Chamber of Commerce members from Whitchurch, Wem and Market Drayton met to formulate a market towns regeneration strategy.

Roy Aldcroft, Market Drayton chamber chairman, said: “The common problem we have all got is we have large shops like Woolworths which are now shut, and who is going to fill them? But we have come out of the meeting with some very positive ideas.”

As well as calling for better transport, between and within the market towns, and a better police presence, councillors asked for a list of landlords to be drawn up, so more pressure can be applied to property owners to keep their premises tidy.

Councillors also vowed to encourage more businesses to take advantage of council cash to help revamp shop fronts.

Councillor Pauline Dee, Wem mayor, said an important issue was making landlords responsible for maintaining properties.

She said Wem had several empty premises which had fallen into disrepair, and were making the town look uninviting.

She said: “We always try to be positive in Wem because it’s got a lot going for it and it’s a great little town, but we need to make sure when the council goes to unitary there is someone fighting the corner for Wem, and for north Shropshire.”