THREE rural police stations could be sold-off to save Lancashire Constabulary £1million-a-year.

The constabulary is looking to close Over Kellet, Cowan Bridge and Caton police stations - together with many more across Lancashire - as part of plans to save £42 million in the next four years.

The police stations - which are currently used for local community beat teams and have no front desk - have been listed as potential sell-offs in a police review on police premises and front counter services.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Cooke said that the constabulary was looking to dispose of premises where visitor numbers were low or where the public have no access to save ‘significant’ sums of money.

The public is to be asked about their views on the future of police stations as part of the review, found that 81 per cent of visitors across the county is catered for by only 17 of the front counters.

ACC Cooke said: “The Constabulary recognises that the closure of any front counter, or indeed any police premise, is iconic for the public and will cause concern. This is why it has looked closely at visitor numbers in particular to identify those which are used the most in order to limit the impact to a potentially smaller number of people.”

“It will be vital for us to carefully consider how we strike the right balance between finding the savings whilst limiting the impact on the public and protecting officer numbers in what is an already constricting environment.”

Three months of consultation will start on July 1.