Injured man 'facing long recovery'

A Shropshire man who was seriously injured when he plunged 20ft through a town hall trapdoor after discovering a body today remained in intensive care.

The family of Ron Davies say he is in a stable condition in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital – three days after the accident which saw him smash through a wooden bench, breaking vertebrae and ribs.

And they today paid tribute to the people of Bishop's Castle who have rallied round the family since Friday's incident.

Mr Davies, of High Street, fell through the unlocked trapdoor in the clock tower of Bishop's Castle Town Hall after discovering the body of man, who has not yet been formally identified.

Police are treating it as an unexplained death.

Mr Davies broke nine ribs, nine vertebrae, his shoulder blade and damaged his lung.

His daughter, Catriona, 25, today said: "Dad is still stable and still in ITU – they just want to make sure nothing happens to his lung.

"He is cheerful and talking to us. Obviously it is going to be a long process but we don't know how long.

"He's not going to be able to do anything for a long while."

Miss Davies said the care her 63-year-old father had received and the support the family had been given was "overwhelming".

"The nurses at the hospital are wonderful and people have just been so helpful.

"The phone hasn't stopped ringing. The people of Bishop's Castle were so worried and everyone has been left shocked by the whole situation.

"We would like to thank everyone for their support and their messages," she said.