Scary a wannabe Salopian?

Former Spice Girl Mel B today denied she was planning to leave her Beverley Hills retreat for a new home in Shropshire.

It was rumoured that the pop star had been looking to buy a £1.3 million mansion near Wem.

But her publicist today denied that the chart-topping singer was planning a move to the county.

It was reported that the pregnant 31-year-old, originally from Leeds, was believed to be ditching her life in Los Angeles to be closer to her family and had been house hunting in Shropshire.

Mel B has suffered a turbulent time over recent months following her break-up from Beverley Hills Cop actor Eddie Murphy.

The Spice Girl has said she is pregnant by the Oscar-nominated Murphy, but he has claimed he will demand a DNA test to prove the child is his.

It was thought she had looked at a 10-bedroom mansion, near Wem, which is set in 13 acres with a swimming pool and tennis courts.

But after speaking to the singer, her publicist Nadine Bibi said there was "absolutely no truth" in the story. The mansion she was believed to have looked at is on the market with Wem-based Stokes Estate Agents.

The Queen Anne-style house also has a hydrotherapy room with jacuzzi, pool and wave machine and the grounds include an apple orchard and four ponds. There is also a golf course and an area suitable as a helicopter landing pad.

Peter Stokes, a partner at the estate agents, said: "It's not the sort of thing we get drawn on and it's not policy to discuss property viewers."