A police station which closed in a Forest of Dean town five years ago will be re-opened.

The base will open its doors again in Lydney later this year with 20 police officers and two sergeants available to the local community, Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commisioner Martin Surl announced today.

Lydney police station was shut with Cinderford and Coleford’s offices in 2015, and operations ran from Forest of Dean District Council’s HQ in Coleford.

Mr Surl said it was his ambition to re-open Lydney police station, in High Street, when the money was available, following budget cuts to policing serivices.

As of 2018 Lydney had a population of approximately 7,400. The latest crime figures from Police.UK show the Lydney policing neighbourhood had 97 incidents of crime in January – 34 of which were violence and sexual offences, 24 were anti-social behaviour and nine were burgarlies.

Mr Surl said: “It will be up to the Chief Constable how he utilises the building but it’s hoped that 20 officers and two sergeants will work from there with the first floor dedicated to investigational work.

“Neighbourhood policing would also be a priority, with drop-in spaces available on the ground floor to help build relationships with the community and provide a local presence.

“I am proud to say that since I was elected in November 2012, in contrast with the extensive programme of closures authorised at the time not a single Gloucestershire police station has closed. Though I accept, some stations have been forced to change in the way they operate.

“I can understand that the authority was in a difficult financial position at the time and thought cashing-in on the building was a solution.

“But I was not prepared to sacrifice the long term security of the police in the Forest in favour of a short term gain.”

Chief Constable Rod Hansen said: “We took the difficult decision to withdraw services from Lydney Police Station as part of the New Operating Model we had to introduce following cuts in Home Office funding.

“Re-opening Lydney Police Station will mean a permanent police presence in a town which is growing rapidly as a result of the burgeoning local economy and the now free passage across the Severn bridges.

“We will determine which resources to base there and when to officially open the building in due course.

“The reopening of Lydney is yet another example of how Gloucestershire Constabulary is bucking the national trend; instead of closing stations we are actually opening them.”