EAST Lancashire taxpayers are being asked to back an inflation-busting rise to help fund the county's police force or face a cut in the number of police officers on our streets.

People are to be asked if they mind paying 26p a week extra for policing to make up a Government grant shortfall.

If council taxpayers agree, it will be the second successive year that they have faced rises well above inflation to make up for a lack of funds.

And it will lead to people in Band D properties going through the £100 barrier to pay for their local police force.

Dr Ruth Henig, chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority, said forces faced a national funding shortfall of £250million if the money from the Government was only increased by the proposed three per cent.

To cover that shortfall, council taxpayers face a rise of 15 per cent on their council tax bills for police services.

Currently Band D householders in Lancashire pay £87.52 for the police, so they face being charged an extra £13.13, taking the bill over £100 annually.

Last year householders had an extra £14 added onto their bills so the police could recruit an extra 80 community beat managers.

Dr Henig said this year pay inflation, rising pension costs, insurance premiums, forensic science, IT and technological advances were putting the squeeze on police authority budgets. She added of the possible three per cent rise: "If that happened, our member authorities would face a stark choice between cutting policing services, and making further large increases in council tax precepts."

The National Association of Police Authorities, of which Dr Henig is also the chairman, is demanding the Government meet the shortfall of £250million.

But she has also ordered a period of public consultation in Lancashire about the potential 15 per cent rise for tax payers, in case the worst happens and the Government fails to plug the gap. This financial year police services in Lancashire are costing £216.8million, with £177million coming from the Government and the rest from council tax.

A Home Office spokesman said: It was looking to increase the police grant by between three and 4.9 per cent, while forces would also be able to apply for special grants .

Lancashire police Chief Constable Paul Stephenson said: "If the predicted increase does come about, there will be a funding gap which concerns me greatly. There would inevitably be a significant increase in the council tax for policing here."