POLICING in Padiham has come under the spotlight after concerns about the opening hours of the town's police station.

Councillors have protested that the station is closed during the evenings and weekends meaning residents have to travel to Burnley.

But police say if the station were to remain open outside office hours they would need to take an officer off the streets to man the inquiry desk. The emergency telephone facility outside Padiham police station will still be available 24 hours a day.

Concerns have also been raised about methods of contacting the police after it was revealed an incident on Friday went unreported after a message was left on a community beat manager's mobile phone.

Liz Bolton, clerk of Padiham Town Council, said: "The main issue of concern is that the station is closed in the evenings and at weekends and people feel cut off with the only point of face to face contact in Burnley. Although people can call the police they really want to be able to see someone face to face.

"There's also an issue over how people contact the police. Although the community beat managers give out their mobile phone numbers, if they are off duty the police don't get the message."

Councillors are now to hold regular meetings with the police so concerns can be addressed, with the next meeting expected next week.

Chief Superintendent John Knowles said: "The number of occasions when the public visit Padiham Police Station is very small. Opening 10am until 6pm, Monday to Saturday, will capture the vast majority of callers.

"What we want to do is clearly tell the public when the police station is open and then ensure it is open. Sadly that did not occur in the past. Often when the police station should have been open it was closed due to staff shortages.

"By amending the hours we want to give a more reliable service to the public of Padiham. If someone needs to contact the police and it is an emergency they should always dial 999. If the matter is a non emergency then they can call 01282 425001. If they simply want to speak to their Community Beat Manager but the issue is not urgent they can call their Community Beat Manager on their voicemail or mobile.

"All Community Beat Managers should have their mobiles switched on while on duty. If they are off duty, then they should have a message on their phone to that effect. If this is not the case, then we will rectify the matter."