Town loses Monopoly bid

Shrewsbury's bid to make it onto a special edition of the Monopoly board has failed.

Games giant Parker canvassed the nation to find 22 new locations to make up The Monopoly-Here and Now UK Edition earlier this year.

More than one million people took part in an online vote at www.monopoly.co.uk for their favourite locations to take a coveted place on the world famous board game.

Shropshire's county town had been riding high during the voting, but slipped from Mayfair down to Oxford Street before dropping off the board altogether.

The Here and Now UK Edition will be released in October with St Albans sitting in the top spot.

The city beat off competition from every other town, city and village in the UK including Birmingham (Leicester Square), London (Northumberland Ave.), Manchester (Whitehall) and Liverpool (Old Kent Road)

A 25ft Scottie Dog Monopoly mover has appeared in the city today and a public unveiling of the new board is due to take place at 5pm.

The poll, between April and May, resulted in surprises for a number of towns and cities.

A Monopoly spokesman said a greater enthusiasm among people from smaller towns had resulted in bigger places not featuring.

He said: "Even London only occupies the pink Northumberland Avenue spaces."