A frustrated councillor has criticised the lack of police presence in Oswestry after he was unable to hand in a wallet he found on the street.

Oswestry town councillor Duncan Kerr found the wallet on a pavement near Welsh Walls.

Keen to return the wallet to its owner, Cllr Kerr called the police on the 101 non-emergency number, but his call could not be connected after 15 minutes of waiting.

Cllr Kerr said: “There was no money in the wallet, but it held bank cards, ID cards, personal and work details and, like many of us I suspect, lists of passwords.

“After 15 minutes of holding music on the 101 number, the automated voice suggested I call back later. 

“So the next morning I took the wallet to Oswestry police station.”

There, Cllr Kerr spoke with an operator via intercom, but was told nobody at the station would be able to accept the wallet.

He was advised to return home and wait for officers to call him to confirm when they could collect it. But no call was ever made.

By chance, Cllr Kerr then encountered a community support officer. Cllr Kerr said the officer ‘very reluctantly’ accepted the wallet but initially insisted he didn’t have the correct paperwork with him to deal with the issue.

Cllr Kerr added: “I expect we have all lost a wallet at some time. This could well have been a crime, but even if it wasn’t the owner would have been very worried.

“I realise the police have many conflicting and urgent issues to attend to, but if things have now become so bad they can no longer offer a service for found items, maybe they should come and talk to the town council. 

“After all, the town council has a strong partnership with the police by running the CCTV scheme.”

Counter services at many West Mercia police stations, including Oswestry, were withdrawn in 2014. Councillors expressed concern at the time about the impact of removing the services.