D-day looms on which Shropshire police stations will go

In February Bill Longmore, police commissioner for West Mercia, and Chief Constable David Shaw announced proposals to close stations in Ironbridge, Albrighton and Ellesmere.

Under the plans a control room at Battlefield in Shrewsbury would be relocated to the force's headquarters in Worcestershire and a number of smaller stations in Shropshire would be closed to the public and converted to community policing posts.

This means stations at Cleobury Mortimer, Craven Arms, Shifnal, Whitchurch and Newport will still be available for officers to use as required, although police will not be based at them permanently.

Stations at Bishop's Castle, Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Much Wenlock and Tenbury Wells will move to new sites which have yet to be announced.

Mr Longmore said he would consider alternative proposals put forward during a month-long public consultation, which closed on Sunday.

But he also said some of the decisions made originally were correct.

Mr Longmore said the number of responses 'ran into hundreds' and he was very pleased with the reaction.

Mr Longmore said: "We have had a lot of responses, it is going to take time to go through them all.

"There are a lot of alternatives to consider and I will sit down with the Chief Constable soon to go through it all.

"I feel we have got the right decision in some areas, but ultimately it is up to the Chief.

"All in all we can say it's been a very worthwhile exercise."

But Mr Longmore would not be drawn on which stations could face alternative futures than those originally outlined.

He said in the decisions that are correct he hopes changes will be made in 'the next few months,' but it will take 'a series of months' to implement other changes.

He will talk to Chief Constable Shaw in the coming weeks and reveal the decisions once they have been made.