COMMUNITY representatives are campaigning to save police bases which are due to close.

Lancashire police announced last year that both Whalley and Mellor bases would be closed before April 1.

The move comes ahead of the service centralising officers in Blackburn and Colne and would see the majority starting their shifts there and then travelling to Clitheroe.

Local representatives including Pat Young, the chairman of Mellor Parish Council, Maureen Britcliffe, chairman of Mellor and District Community Centre and Lancashire County Coun Alan Schofield, who represents Ribble Valley South West, are hoping to meet members of the police soon.

The police in Mellor are based at the community centre in Whalley Road while the police base in Whalley is in Princess Street.

At a meeting with parish council members, Insp Hassan Khan, inspector for the Ribble Valley, said the changes were due to making the service more efficient in light of cost cutting.

He said that they have one crime a month on average in Mellor and that a station was not needed to still be effective.

Coun Schofield said: “These are vital community services that need to be maintained.

“I hope that a future meeting between the police and local representatives will be positive and that we can work out a way to keep these centres open.

“People do not want to be without a police presence in their areas.”

Insp Khan said: “The station at Mellor will close at the end of March.

“£80,000 is being cut from the budget and we have to make savings somewhere.

“There will, however, be extra officers coming to the Ribble Valley from April 1 so there will actually be an increase in our numbers here.

“There will also be an increase in the minimum number of officers in the borough from two to three.”