Police officers have defended their coverage of a rural area of Shropshire amid mounting criticism from councillors.

Heather Kidd and Nigel Hartin, who represent Worthen and Chirbury and Clun on Shropshire Council, believe the Bishop’s Castle ward is receiving a “skeleton” service from West Mercia Police and had claimed the area was receiving the worst police coverage in Europe.

But police have hit back at the claims and insisted the area is one of the safest in which to live and receives coverage 24 hours a day.

They have also insisted police presence in south Shropshire has recently been increased. Earlier this year it emerged the town’s local policing officer had been off on sick leave and the councillors have now claimed one of the covering staff has been reassigned elsewhere.

Councillor Kidd said: “Our police beat covers a huge area from Worthen in the north through Bishop’s Castle to beyond Clun in the south. Our beat constable has been off sick for some time leaving us with only a part time constable, a CSO and another part time constable drafted in from Church Stretton.

“We’ve now heard that one of these constables is being assigned elsewhere leaving us with a skeleton staff to cover hundreds of square miles.”

Chief Inspector Martin Whitelegg of West Mercia Police said: “The local policing officer at Bishop’s Castle is absent from work at this time due to illness and in such circumstances, it is normal practice to provide additional cover from a nearby area.

“I can reassure the public in addition to the local officer, the Bishop’s Castle area is policed by other officers from south Shropshire 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

“We can and do meet our published response times in the area and, far from being one of the worst policed areas in Western Europe, crime and disorder levels show it is in fact one of the safest places to live and work in the UK and even Europe.”

By Peter Kitchen