CLEVELAND Police has been told to clean up its act after a Covid inspection of its headquarters highlighted a number of concerns.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out the inspection on Tuesday and handed over a warning and advice to the force after concerns were raised about some conditions and working practices.

The force says it have taken on board the criticism from the HSE inspectors and are now implementing the recommendations to ensure all staff are save at work.

Its £20m flagship Community Safety Hub, in Hemlington, Middlesbrough, was opened in 2018 to replace the force's dilapidated 1970s office block on Ladgate Lane due to soaring running costs of about £1m a year.

Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: “We are really pleased that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been able to come in and support our officers and staff as we strive to make our workplace as Covid safe as we possibly can.

“We’ve done a huge amount to protect those at our sites and visitors and it’s important that HSE has come in and judged what is good but also what needs to be improved further.

"We’ve set about making the changes required and will continue to look to HSE to support us, and our workforce, to get this right.

“In the midst of a global pandemic, we all have a duty to stop the spread of the virus and our staff and public can be assured that we are – with their support – working really hard to do just that."

Although full details of the Covid problems have not been revealed it is believed that some concern working conditions in the force's control room where staff handle incoming calls from members of the public.

Last year, the control room had to be temporarily relocated after parts of the building were flooded during torrential storms in June.

A HSE spokesperson said: "HSE are visiting workplaces as part of checking on COVID-secure measures. A HSE inspector visited the Cleveland Police Headquarters on Tuesday, October 6.

"We are unable to comment further at this stage."