40 minute round trip to Bridgwater for Weston bobbies "makes no sense"

12.00.00am GMT Wed 3rd Feb 2010

Avon and Somerset Police have announced this week that they proposed to close Weston-super-Mare's custody suite and relocate to a new regional centre in Bridgwater.

Police chiefs have admitted that the move will see officers making the 20 minute trip to Bridgwater to drop off offenders.

Mike Bell, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Weston-super-Mare, says the move "makes no sense".

He said: "The police say that the custody suite in Weston is not fit for the job any more. So they prefer to spend money in Bridgwater and waste 40 minutes a time sending our local officers down the motorway accompanying offenders to their new regional centre.

"We have precious few bobbies on the beat in Weston as it is, without them providing taxi services to Bridgwater. Worse, it makes no sense to claim that they are short of space in Weston when the police station is sat bang next door to the old magistrates court - which is owned by the Ministry of Justice - and has sat empty since the new courthouse opened at St Georges."

Mr Bell has written to the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police today to argue for a change in the decision. He has also called for a public consultation meeting to be held in Weston about the proposed relocation. Currently, the only planned consultation will take place in Portishead.