Cumbria police's early preference for a strategic police force that would see them merge with Lancashire and Merseyside has been described as "peculiar and disastrous".

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said the inclusion of Merseyside was of concern because it had higher levels of crime associated with urban areas.

His comments were made after Cumbria police announced for the first time its preferred option in the biggest shake-up of the UK's police forces in 30 years.

The Home Office wants to slash the number of police forces from 43 to 30 following a report by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), which concluded the current force structure was out of date and that many small forces, such as Cumbria, would struggle to meet the demands of modern day and serious crime, such as counter terrorism.

Both Cumbria and Lancashire have been told they must merge with one or more North West force because they were currently too small.

Up until last Friday it had been widely believed a merger with Lancashire would be the preferred option. Lancashire police said it would prefer to merge with Cumbria after consulting staff and the public.

But in a surprise to many, Merseyside had been included in Cumbria's preference increasing fears that policing in the largely rural county of Cumbria, where crime rates were low, would lose out to the largely urban Merseyside, which serves Liverpool where crime levels were high in comparison.

Although Merseyside police declined to reveal their preference, it is believed they share the views of Cumbria police who are also considering mergers with Lancashire and with Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Mr Farron, who is opposed to any merger, said he could see the sense of joining forces with Lancashire but admitted he was bemused by the inclusion of Merseyside.

"It is vitally important that we ensure we protect the policing resources we have here, which is already insufficient, and I don't see how merging with Merseyside will benefit Cumbria in any way," said Mr Farron, who recently handed a letter strongly protesting against any merger to the office of Home Secretary Charles Clarke. "I have already expressed concerns about a merger with Lancashire but to include Merseyside only makes things worse its inclusion is peculiar, to say the least." Mr Farron said he did not believe Cumbria needed to merge with another force and that regional crime fighting squads could be set up instead.

The Gazette reported last week that Cumbria Police Authority was reserving judgement on a merger and wanted Cumbria remaining a separate entity to be considered as well. Cumbria police say they have no choice and that they run the risk of decisions being taken for them if they shy away from the bargaining table.

Chief Superintendent Dee Collins of the South Cumbria Basic Command Unit which covers South Lakeland and Furness has admitted the force would struggle to meet the demands posed by a major incident, such as the Soham murders.

At present officers would be pulled off the streets to deal with such an incident but, under a merger, the extra resources could be called on outside the county, she said.

She also stressed that visible policing in Cumbria would not be affected in any merger, an issue that was a major concern for many community representatives.

Acting Chief Constable Christine Twigg also moved to allay fears within the force over a merger, vowing that the interests of officers and staff would be "paramount".

"We will ensure Cumbria Constabulary is an equal partner in any proposals we are not being taken over," she insisted.

"We will also ensure that all staff have an equal opportunity to apply for jobs in the new structures and have wider opportunities to develop and put in place the necessary mechanisms to support staff."

Cumbria and Lancashire are due to receive feedback from Charles Clarke over their initial preferences on Monday.

North Yorkshire Police say they would not reveal their preference for a merger until further consultation with staff and the public was carried out. The force is considering whether to continue as a separate entity; to merge with North, South and West Yorkshire and Humberside; to merge with South Yorkshire and Humberside; or to merge with West Yorkshire.