Shropshire Star online hits of 2017

In total readers viewed more than 51 MILLION pages on the site from January to December.

Snow go

Schools were closed, power lines brought down and roads blocked as heavy snow hit Shropshire and Mid Wales in December, with up to 20cm (8 inches) dumped on the area.

Going underground

A photographer tracked down Shropshire caves which date back around 700 years when they were used by followers of the Knights Templar – a medieval religious order that fought in the Crusades.

Red skies

As the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit the UK in October, people in Shropshire snapped pictures of the sun turning a strange red colour.

McGone

There was a shock when Shrewsbury's iconic McDonald's restaurant on Pride Hill in the middle of the town closed its doors for good in February.

Running dry

Thousands of people were left without running water in September after one of the biggest pipes supplying Telford burst. About 20,000 homes and businesses were affected.

Farewell Cheggers

There was sad news when TV personality Keith Chegwin died in December, just 10 months after making Shropshire his home when he moved to a house between Whitchurch and Wem.

Rock on

The Shropshire Rocks craze hit the county hundreds of colourful painted rocks being left around for people to find.

What a drag

Health bosses in Shropshire turned down a £2,500 donation - because they were unhappy that the money was raised by men dressed as female nurses.

999 shocker

A man angry that an ambulance responding to an emergency was blocking his route to work in Market Drayton got inside the vehicle and drove it away.

Bags of shopping

With 22 tills, 129 mannequins and busts, 32 fitting rooms and rails as far as the eye can see, Primark Shrewsbury finally opened to the public in July.

Community effort

A desperate prompted a huge community response as volunteers came together to help a family fulfil the last wishes of a Telford teenager who died after battling cystic fibrosis.

Beckham lands

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar David Beckham took a small village on the Shropshire border by complete surprise when he turned up out of the blue.

Shock for shoppers

Police launched an investigation after shocking hardcore pornographic images were screened on an information board at Telford Shopping Centre.

£1,900 dismay

A Telford woman had £1,900 taken after it fell from her pocket just hours after finding out her father had Alzheimer’s. Another woman was cautioned by police and ordered to pay the money back.

Twitter star car

It was sat there for months... and eventually an abandoned Fiat Multipla on the A5 at Shrewsbury got its own Twitter account to "help with the boredom of eternal parking".

Bin-spectors in town

People who put the wrong rubbish in their bins in Telford were told they faced fines as part of a campaign targeting the borough's worst-offending streets.

Doris strikes

Storm Doris wrecked havoc across the region as trees and power lines came down, trains and traffic were halted and shops and homes were damaged in the high winds.

Golf sadness

Ex-Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing's golf-course-dream was over after administrators put his Shropshire course and stately home up for sale for £10 million.

Receipt disgust

A Shropshire couple were left speechless after a barman at a holiday resort handed them a receipt with the word “lesbians” printed on it.

Rod rocks

Around 20,000 fans packed in to ShrewsburyTown's stadium to see Sir Rod Stewart perform his classics spanning five decades.