Police look at sites for station

The Police Authority has given permission for Durham Police to approach Durham County Council to start looking for sites in the district.

One idea under consideration is to replace stations at Stanley and Consett, which are no longer able to cope with the workload.

Derwentside police, who said plans were still at the discussion stage, said a new station could be a reality within the next four years.

The location could develop into a political issue, with Stanley and Consett competing for new investment.

Currently, work is split evenly between both stations, although divisional commander Chief Superintendent Eric Irwin is stationed at Consett.

New police initiatives, including the forthcoming introduction of a digital communications network, are putting increased pressure on space.

Chief Supt Irwin said: "The bottom line is that the demand for accommodation is rising all the time, and Consett and Stanley is already coming up to beyond its capacity.

"We have been given permission to identify sites, but we still do not have any formal approval at this stage.

"What we are doing is looking at the service we will provide for the next 40 or 50 years. One idea is we could have a station somewhere between Stanley and Consett and have smaller offices for the public in both towns.

"At this stage we have a completely open mind about how we can serve Derwentside in the future."

Chief Supt Irwin said it was hoped that the station would be built within four years if a site was identified and permission was given by councils and police chiefs.

Meanwhile, an application to build a police station in the Blackhill area of Consett will be debated by councillors next month.

The station would be built in Durham Road, near St Andrew's Church.

A small office near Shotley Bridge would be closed if permission was granted for the station.

Durham County Council confirmed it had been approached about the proposal