Campaign starts to make River Severn safer after body found

A Facebook group has been set up by three Shrewsbury friends after hearing about a body being found in the river at Cressage in Shrewsbury on New Year's Eve in the search for missing man Daniel Hodgin.

Ben Evans was friends with 24-year-old Josh Wreford, from Radbrook, who drowned in the river in 2010, and he has teamed up with Shrewsbury friends Simon Tildesley and Sharon Stevens to launch the campaign online.

The group called 'Make our river safer' is calling for more safety measures installed at the riverside to help prevent people going in – and are using Facebook to lobby for ideas on what can be done before starting an official petition.

Mr Evans, 28, from Montford Bridge, said: "In 2010, after my friend Josh Wreford fell into the Severn in Shrewsbury and drowned, I started campaigning for better river safety.

"Now, after the announcement of another body being found in the River Severn, we are once again calling for adequate safety and prevention methods along the river in town. The page was set up on New Years Day and already has received more than 2,000 likes and is still growing.

"I understand railings may not stop it completely all I want is to make a difference and try save lives I'm overwhelmed to how fast this page is growing."

In 2011 Shropshire Council put up barriers along a stretch of the river near the weir and between the railway and St Mary's Water Lane as part of a bid to improve safety, but campaigners say that more needs to be done.

Tracey Bowen wrote: "I think having railings would be a lot safer not only for night time but also during the day. My six-year-old has just learnt to ride his bike and I would feel much safer taking the children along the river to the quarry in the summer knowing there was railings along there."

Helen Lowther said: "I definitely agree with making the river safer. I live in Castlefields and I think that railings are needed from the Weir to the English bridge. Now that the Buttermarket is so popular again it has to be done! In addition to this I would also feel safer walking along there with my children."

Police searching for missing Daniel Hodgin found a body in the River Severn on Wednesday. Specialist teams were called to the village of Cressage, around 10 miles downstream from Shrewsbury where the 20-year-old was last seen.

Daniel, from Madeley, Telford, went missing on November 22 after a night out. Friends of missing Daniel Hodgin have also called for safety railings and CCTV to be installed at the river close to the Buttermarket nightclub.

Vicki Wall and Abigail Pooler, from Telford, set up a petition calling on Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council to install the safety measures in the area where police suspect Daniel may have entered the river a month ago.

Miss Wall, 22, of Garbett Road, Aqueduct, Telford, said after handing out petitions to shops last week they have already collected hundreds of signatures backing their call for extra river safety measures.

The two campaigns will join to present their views to Shropshire Council.