BIG changes could be on the way if proposed boundary changes to Herefordshire’s constituencies are given the go-ahead.

Under the proposals, published by the Boundary Commission for England (BCE), North Herefordshire could be set to merge with South Shropshire.

It means the northern tip of the constituency would be just south of Shrewsbury, taking in the likes of Ludlow, Craven Arms and Church Stretton. The boundary straddles Bewdley in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire.

Leominster, the county's biggest market town, would remain within the constituency as well as Kington and Bromyard but Ledbury and its surrounding villages would move into the same one as Malvern.

It could mean the county would essentially be split into three separate consistencies.

Currently the county boasts just two seats in Hereford and South Herefordshire, held by Jesse Norman, and North Herefordshire, held by Bill Wiggin.

The proposals could mean that Mr Wiggin’s seat is under threat, with his patch merging with that of South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne.

It is not the first time that major changes to the constituency boundaries have been proposed – a similar plan was considered and rejected in 2013.

Back then, Mr Wiggin told Parliament that the Boundary Commission “rode rough shod” over the history of north Herefordshire and failed to show the county the respect it deserved in looking to break up the current constituencies.

The Hereford and South Herefordshire seat is slightly altered under the plans, taking in the villages of Mordiford and Fownhope.

And Holmer, Bartestree and Withington, would all become part of the South Herefordshire constituency, having previously been under the north.

The boundary changes have been proposed because the number of constituencies in the West Midlands must reduce from 59 to 53.

The total number of constituencies in the UK must be reduced to 600 from 650

There will now be a 12-week consultation on the proposals, ending on December 5. There will be a further two rounds of consultation in 2017.

The BCE must report to parliament in 2018 and, if agreed by parliament, the new constituencies will be in use at the next scheduled General Election in 2020.