JUST one police helicopter could be based in the North-East, it has emerged after bosses refused to confirm if the aircraft currently stationed at Durham Tees Valley Airport (DTVA) would remain in the region.

The Northern Echo revealed last week how Cleveland police and crime commission Barry Coppinger had voted in favour of a package of reforms which would see the National Police Air Service (Npas) base at DTVA closing.

The Npas base at Newcastle International Airport has survived the cull and it had been suggested that the Tees Valley helicopter would be transferred there when the DTVA hangar closed in 2016/17.

However, West Yorkshire Police, which oversees the Npas service, was today unable to confirm if the aircraft would remain within the North-East.

If the helicopter was moved elsewhere or retired, this could mean the North-East served by two helicopters, one based at Newcastle and another at Wakefield.

New data released today by Npas shows that a helicopter leaving either base would take between 20 and 30 minutes to fly to many areas in the Tees Valley, County Durham and North Yorkshire.

Npas has revealed plans to base a fixed-wing plan at York, however this would also take around 20 minutes to reach the Tees Valley. 

The new information has emerged as anger grows over the closure of the DTVA police helicopter base.

Stockton South MP James Wharton said: “This is terrible news for the airport and for local policing.

"It means the helicopter will be further away, which can only increase response times, and it deals yet another blow to an airport that needs support.

“The Cleveland Police Commissioner has really dropped the ball.

"I’ve not seen him make any public effort to retain a localised service at Teesside.”

North Yorkshire author and retired police officer Mike Pannett said he was "doubly concerned" about the closures of ten bases nationally as part opf the cost-cutting drive.

He said: "The loss of further bases will be disastrous on a number of levels, not least for the areas which are losing them.

"It seems like they are putting the savings above the service to the public, and I also feel dreadfully sorry for the men and women who served at those bases."

A petition has been launched on-line to fight the closure.

Twitter user @JHind83, who launched the campaign, said “The plans to move the Cleveland Police helicopter and crew up to Newcastle will have a detrimental impact on the effectiveness of the service and response times of air support.”