ATHERTON is to get a new police station and Tyldesley's will soon close temporarily.

For years there has been public demand for better police facilities in Atherton where a 'low cred' building in Bag Lane has served since the town's Water Street station shut in the 1970s.

Now plans have been revealed to build a new station on part of the council recreation ground which runs alongside Gloucester Street.

The plan had some bearing on Wigan planners' decision to turn down supermarket plans for the town's Howe Bridge Mill site.

The station is pencilled in for a corner plot at the Flapper Fold Lane/Gloucester Street junction. Objectors to the supermarket plans felt the dangerous Flapper Fold junction would be made worse if a store and police station were located on opposite sides of the junction near Atherton fire station.

Atherton Cllr Sue Loudon said: "Having a new police station in Atherton would be excellent. I'm told it would be a deployment centre -- much like Tyldesley's is at present -- and we would definitely need a public counter.

"We have suggested the mill site could be used for a police station, but I suppose it depends on whether they could offer the same amount of money for the site as retail developers do."

In Spring, Atherton's town centre office will be open all day during the three month period Tyldesley is expected to be shut. Work will begin shortly on refurbishing Tyldesley's Shuttle Street station which is also a Tactical Aid Unit base. During closure, asbestos roofing material will be safely removed by contractors carrying out the remodelling. Chief Inspector Ken Dickson of Leigh sub division said: "Work is expected to start in April at Tyldesley where currently are based the Tactical Aid Unit, area staff and an enquiry counter. The job should be finished in 12 weeks."