Toby Jones: Funeral held following river death

The funeral has been held of a man who died after falling in the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

Toby Jones, 31, died after being pulled from the water on 1 April. The service was held at Shrewsbury Abbey.

Last week, it emerged Shropshire Council will review safety along the Severn in the town after the deaths of Mr Jones and 21-year-old Nathan Fleetwood.

A third man, Dan Walker, 31, was rescued from the river last month.

Mr Jones's mother Shane Gayme said her son was "full of life".

"He had the biggest smile. If you were ever feeling a bit down or ever needed a cuddle, he was there," she said.

She added a lot of people had been affected by his death.

It is thought Mr Jones fell in the river and could not get out, and tried to swim across it. He died later in hospital.

Nathan Fleetwood died in March after he was last seen near Kingsland Bridge in Shrewsbury, less than a mile away from where Mr Jones was found.

Dan Walker, who was rescued from the river in Shrewsbury on 4 April, is calling for better safety measures in the town.

Two other men were also rescued from by the Welsh Bridge last weekend.

Ms Gayme said she believed her son's death was preventable and wanted more railings, lighting and CCTV to be set up.

"They've got to do something now," she said.

Councillor David Vasmer said adding some fencing should be looked at "immediately".

"I think there are parts of the river which appear unsafe which don't have fencing and I think if we did that it would reassure people and provide some sort of prevention," he said.

Meanwhile, Gary Steer, a retired businessman who was a father figure to Mr Jones, said he had spoken to other local business people who said they would contribute towards safety measures along the river.

"Even if we could only do the area where Toby went in, it would be a start," he said.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk