THE mayor of Petersfield has branded the closure of Petersfield police station to the public next month as a "sop to the people of the town".

The public inquiry desk at the police station in St Peter's Road, which is due to be sold as part of Hampshire Police's £50m programme of cuts in expenditure, is expected to be closed to the public from the middle of March.

Mayor George Watkinson said this week: "I can understand that this is all tied in with the police trying to reduce costs but I am disappointed that they are closing it down."

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.