BBC Radio Shropshire among the most popular stations in the country

Latest data from industry monitor Rajar shows that the station's share of the county's listening audience reduced from 14.1 per cent to 13.9 per cent in the last year – although because the figures are considered to be accurate to around 2.5 per cent, the figure appears largely unchanged.

It leaves the station with the second best audience share of any local BBC radio station in the mainland UK, with only Cornwall – another largely rural area – topping it with a listener share of 15.5 per cent.

Radio Shropshire has a weekly reach of 116,000 people, the figures show, with the average listener tuning in for 9.6 hours every weeks.

The other main broadcaster in the county, the commercial station Free Radio, achieved an audience share of 11.3 per cent, with people listening for an average of 8.9 hours.

Signal, which also covers the county but is focused on the wider area, had a 1.6 per cent share of its audience, with people switching on for 6.1 hours a week.

Nationally, BBC breakfast DJ Nick Grimshaw drew praise from his station boss for shedding more than half a million listeners over the age of 25 in the space of three months.

The station's controller Ben Cooper said that losing the older listeners while gaining younger fans to bring down the overall age was fulfilling the "challenge" the presenter had been set.

Grimshaw's programme has a weekly audience of 5.85 million according to new figures from industry body Rajar, down 440,000 in total on the previous quarter.

Since replacing predecessor Chris Moyles the show has lost 1.11 million listeners aged 25 or more, while adding 230,000 under 24s.

Broadcasting veteran Ken Bruce is among the presenters who have helped Radio 2 to a new record audience, according to the new figures.

The network – which was named UK station of the year at the Radio Academy Awards on Monday night – has seen its weekly listener figures climb to 15.57 million.

Helen Boaden, director of BBC Radio, said: "I am delighted to see Radio 2 gaining both accolades and audiences. The station never fails to surprise and amaze with the diversity of its output, which includes an unrivalled breadth of music alongside news, current affairs, documentaries, religion, arts, comedy and readings.

"It also boasts many of the finest broadcasters in the country and the continuing success of the Chris Evans Breakfast Show is a tribute to all those who work so hard to make the show utterly unique."