A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found in a car with a gunshot wound to her neck.

Police said they received several reports that a shot had been fired on Farmers Gate, Newport, Shropshire, at just before 11.15pm on Friday.

When officers arrived they discovered the injured woman, who was in her 50s, in the car. Paramedics attended but she was declared dead at the scene, the Press Association reported.

A 45-year-old man, from Newport, was arrested on farmland near Sutton. He is currently in hospital under police guard.

West Mercia Police said a shotgun was recovered at the scene of the arrest.

Superintendent Sue Thomas said: “We are in the very early stages of our investigation and have a number of officers carrying out inquiries.

“At this time we believe the suspect and the deceased were known to each other.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the victim; they will be offered support by specially trained officers.

“We will be stepping up patrols in the area overnight and over the weekend to provide reassurance to the community.”

Anyone with information should call 101 and quote incident 725s of 26 January 2018 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.