Pub closed over rallying bikers

Police closed a Shropshire pub after up to 1,500 bikers congregated there for an unofficial weekly rally.

The Wheel at Worfield, near Bridgnorth, was banned from trading temporarily on Wednesday night amid safety concerns.

Insp Andy Thomas, from West Mercia Police, said the event was "an accident waiting to happen".

He issued a 24-hour banning notice and said he would apply for an extension to the order at Telford Magistrates' Court following complaints from residents.

Insp Thomas added: "The scale of the event has become totally inappropriate for the area, with random parking of machines on the grass verges, pavements and any available space restricting the views of emerging traffic."

The pub was banned from trading from just after 2100 BST on Wednesday.

The biker event happens every Wednesday during the summer months, police said.