The lives of two people in the River Severn were saved in part by a cash investment in extra training and new equipment so retained firefighters in Shropshire could carry out dramatic water rescues, officials said today.

A Bridgnorth man has told our video team of how he held onto a woman for 20 minutes in the freezing River Severn this week.

A huge crack which has appeared in Bridgnorth’s historic town hall was caused by part of the building being rotten, it has been revealed.

A soldier on leave has been hailed as a lifesaver after keeping a woman afloat in the River Severn in Shropshire as he tried to rescue her from drowning.

A church near Bridgnorth earmarked for closure could be handed a last minute lifeline, officials said this afternoon. St Bartholomew in Glazeley is under threat.

A Shropshire restaurant that endured its worst festive season ever last year with heavy snow and floods causing a £150,000 loss has enjoyed its most successful year ever.

Torrential rain failed to put off Christmas shoppers in Shropshire as traders reported business was booming – with hopes for more of the same today.

Four senior police officers, including a chief constable and his deputy, are being investigated over claims of misconduct relating to a gangland murder case where a body was found in a country lane on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.

More than 16,000 further homes and businesses in Shropshire will have access to faster broadband by next summer, BT said this afternoon.

Thieves stole a Christmas hamper from a Bridgnorth pub – just days before it was due to be raffled off for charity.

The death of Black Panther Donald Neilson – who murdered Shropshire heiress Lesley Whittle in 1975 – will hopefully bring an ‘element of closure’ for her family, a county vicar today said.

Black Panther Donald Neilson – who murdered Shropshire heiress Lesley Whittle in 1975 – has died in hospital, it was announced this afternoon.

A man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run accident which left a Shropshire man dead, police revealed this afternoon.

Two cars owned by former Judas Priest lead guitarist KK Downing have gone under the hammer for a total of nearly £63,000.

A former Bridgnorth Town Council worker was today facing a bill of at least £10,000 after losing a claim for unfair dismissal against the authority.

Pots of gel which trick pigeons into thinking their favourite landing spots are on fire so they won’t nest are now in place in Bridgnorth.

A woman sacked by Bridgnorth Town Council for leaking confidential documents to help her then boss was guilty of ‘the grossest possible’ breach of trust, an employment tribunal ruled.

Eighty-five properties were without water this afternoon after a pipe burst in a village near Bridgnorth.

Steps leading to the River Severn in Bridgnorth have been closed off after the partial collapse of an unrecorded vault.

A former Bridgnorth Town Council officer leaked confidential information from a private meeting to help her boss in a grievance claim against the authority, an employment tribunal heard.

Mary Portas says many High Streets are dying. She might be pleasantly surprised if she came to Shropshire.

A large cannabis factory and a quantity of cash totalling £130,000 were discovered in Shrewsbury, police revealed today after they carried out raids across the county.

A former clerk of Bridgnorth Town Council allegedly used claims for meal allowances to help buy her family groceries, an employment tribunal heard.

A former clerk to Bridgnorth Town Council has been accused of exaggerating her CV to get the job and using the authority’s credit card to buy clothes for herself, an employment tribunal heard.

Drugs and counterfeit clothes, shoes and jewellery were seized following a raid at a country club near Bridgnorth.

Bridgnorth Rugby Club officials today vowed to ‘beg, borrow and steal’ to make sure one of its busiest weekends went ahead despite being hit by arsonists.

One of the finest Tudor manor houses in Shropshire has been voted as the UK’s top hidden gem at an award ceremony.

The idea came to him when he was just a boy. Ray Hulse was sitting in the dining room at boarding school, eating a sandwich, when he marvelled at the magic of Christmas. “I remember thinking it was a special time,” he says. “I wanted it to last forever.”

Rating: ***** I don’t take any notice of TripAdvisor, writes Rex Key. And you don’t have to take notice of what I write.

Is this Shropshire’s longest serving Santa Claus? Ray Hulse is in his 49th year of donning the red suit. He was just 18 when he first entertained children as Father Christmas.