STAY peeled for more peelers appearing, after Shropshire Police promised that “significant changes” will free-up more officers for patrolling. But more importantly in Oswestry, we’re even promised it could become easier for us to get in touch. That follows a recruitment drive that should see more officers appointed to mount a “visible policing presence” in Shropshire towns like ours.

Far from unlinked to that, the Advertizer spelled out last week how two gangs of youths are causing “havoc” among shoppers and traders through anti-social behaviour.

Steven Watts, chairman of Oswestry Market Traders Group, said he did not know the answer but then acknowledged that police resources were “limited”. What more perfect an example where an increased police presence can make a world of difference?

TRAINS for Wales, which replaced Arriva Train Wales in October, has been blasted online daily with unprecedented attacks over cancellations and heaving two-unit trains.

It rightly responds that a third of its stock is under repair, worsened by storm damage the very weekend it took over. That’s all true, but little or no effort has been made to buy or borrow rolling stock while the protracted repairs are completed.

It was natural we would expect the new brush to sweep clean, so it’s a huge disappointment. No amount of flat-out soft-soaping PR claiming “the best is yet to come” is appeasing baying travellers.

NO ONE quite knows why, but a series of steam engines were named after all the Welsh counties – except Montgomeryshire.

And you might be miffed about that – if you live in Llanymynech, Llansantffraid or Llanfyllin. But the major wrong is being righted.

The Churchward County Trust in Leicestershire, has just started constructing a full-size working replica of one of the Great Western Railway’s ‘County’ class 4-4-0 locomotives – to be named ‘County of Montgomery’.

The project comes 85 years after the last of these locomotives steamed in service. The original 40 locos were built at Swindon, up to 1912, and were named after Welsh, English and even Irish counties with which GWR had links.

DRAW a straight line for the projected £18m, 132,000 volt overhead line that will eventually link Oswestry’s substation, on the A5, with Wem – and it passes close to Lower Hordley and Cockshutt.

It’s a lack of power in the Wem area that’s previously been blamed for job losses and businesses relocating.

So let’s hope the planned route gets revealed soon, as until then it’s inevitable there will be concern from those living along the route.

HOT on the heels of explosives being found at the old Park Hall camp, one’s now been unearthed at the former Talsarnau camp in West Wales.