Work on Great Harwood police station delayed
5:26pm Thursday 8th May 2008
WORK on creating a new town police station has been delayed after asbestos was found on the site.
Building work on the former Job Centre, in Hesketh Street, Great Harwood, will now start at the end of this month.
The new £500,000 station is expected to open in October.
The current police station, in Blackburn Road, has become outdated and run down. A large section of the building is unused as the station's support unit has transferred to a specialist unit at the Greenbank station in Blackburn.
The vacant Job Centre will be redeveloped to house an inquiry desk, reception area, locker room, offices and two interview rooms.
The station will be open from 8am - 8pm, seven days a week, although staff will be present at the site 24 hours a day.
A spokesman for Lancashire Constabulary said: "Whenever we acquire a new building a full site review is carried out. And a small amount of asbestos was found in the building before the refurbishment began.
"Measures have now been put in place to remove the material safely."