Is Market Drayton Shropshire's most abandoned town?

With its empty shops, boarded-up hotel and estate agents' boards, is Market Drayton the most abandoned town centre in Shropshire?

Today the Shropshire Star lifts the lid on a serious issue for all the county's market towns – how to keep going when big-name stores, and independent traders, are pulling out.

Market Drayton shopkeepers say their situation is made worse by parking charges, introduced in April.

The town is also circled by supermarkets, with Sainsbury's and Morrisons, and Asda now looking to expand on the former Netto site.

"You would be a fool to open a shop in Market Drayton at the moment," claims Russell Taylor, who runs Lloyd's Interiors in Cheshire Street.

"People don't think there's enough to warrant paying £1.80 a day to park."

Andy Brown, who runs a sports shop in Shropshire Street and chairs the chamber of trade, said: "If the big name shops are failing, you know that you are on a sticky wicket. I think the the survival of this town is going to be heavily involved with tourism – and the canal here is key."

Full story in today's Shropshire Star