Firefighters' plea to employers

Peter Grocott is one of two retained firefighters at Stelex

Employers in Shropshire have been urged to make it easier for their staff to become retained firefighters.

Fire chiefs said they were short of volunteers to respond to emergency calls in office hours.

Areas such as Prees, Minsterley, Much Wenlock, Albrighton, Cleobury Mortimer, Craven Arms and Hodnet were in desperate need, they said.

In an emergency it can be crucial having firefighters at local stations, they added.

Peter Grocott is one of two retained firefighters working at steel engineering firm Stelex at Prees Industrial Estate.

He said he had been working as a retained firefighter for the last 13 years.

The company's works manager Martin Fowles said: "I am proud of it and, of course, it's an important role in the community.

"We also don't know when we might need them ourselves."