FEARS were expressed this week that plans to shorten the opening hours of Barnard Castle police station would be "nothing short of disaster".

On Tuesday, retired police officers, councillors and residents attended a public meeting to make a case for a public examination of the Durham Police Authority's proposals to close the town's police station on weekends and after 6pm each night.

The counter is currently open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm.

Teesdale District Council scrutiny and overview committee met on Wednesday afternoon to decide whether to investigate the plans.

At Tuesday's meeting, Coun Peter Stubbs said: "The weekend in Barnard Castle is the busiest time of the week. We get visitors, who I know in the main are all right, but that is when you need a local police station open to members of the public.

"The police, like anywhere else, rely on public support. I think this weekend closure is nothing short of disaster for Teesdale.

"It is undoing a system which, over the years, has brought Teesdale into the category of one of the safest areas to live. It is nothing short of sinful."

Retired police officer David Fishwick said he felt the town needed a round-the-clock police presence because of nearby young offenders' institution at Deerbolt and thought that this had been agreed by the police authority when the facility was built.

Retired police officer George Chrystal said he was concerned that the move would mean a further reduction in policing in Barnard Castle and feared the station could be closed completely in future years.

Worries were expressed that police would be taken away from the town if an arrest was made as there would be no holding cells at Barnard Castle. Two police officers would have to take the prisoner to Bishop Auckland or Darlington - round trips of 30 miles.

There were also concerns that the Bishop Auckland call centre would provide an inferior service to that of an open police station.

Mr Chrystal said that the phone operators lacked the invaluable local knowledge of beat bobbies, which was crucial in a rural area.

"One of the biggest things is going to be lack of confidence in the police," he said.

One member of the public said: "Old people do not like to use the phone. A lot of them are deaf and can't hear properly. They want the personal touch."

Mr Fishwick pointed that the move would not actually save any money as the police authority could not make redundancies. Staff would therefore have to be relocated and paid travelling expenses on top of their current wage.

He also questioned whether the £100,000 saved by the plan would pay for an extra five officers, as the average police salary was £33,000.

Coun David Blackie said people who worked would not have access to a police station in the town.

"If, for example, after a traffic infringement you are requested to produce your insurance or test documents, you will have a 30-mile round trip to the nearest police station at Darlington or Bishop Auckland."

He said people who found lost property or needed to renew their gun licences would also be severely hampered by the proposal.

Coun Ken Coates said: "There has been a lack of public consultation."

Coun Jo Fergus, who represents Durham County Council on the police authority, was unable to attend the meeting.

Afterwards, she told the D&S Times: "I am extremely concerned about this and representation has been made to me."

* Teesdale District Council overview and scrutiny committee this week agreed to look into the reasons behind the proposed station closure at evenings and weekends.