POLICE have revealed plans to spend £4million on a new base in Blackburn which could spell the end for a 105-year-old station.

Nine police operational units, currently scattered over the division, would be brought under one roof at offices off junction five of the M65 in a bid to improve crime fighting in the Eastern Division, covering Blackburn, Darwen Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

However if the plans are approved by the police authority, it would mean closure of Great Harwood police station and the support unit, which takes up a large part of the building, would be transferred out and into the new base.

Police bosses said that this would leave the station too big for its needs.

As a result £500,000 has been earmarked to spend on a new, smaller building which can be turned into the new Great Harwood police station.

The force expects to recoup £270,000 by selling the old station a price which is low because the building is said to be in a poor condition and would need extensive work.

Superintendent David Mallaby, commander of the Eastern Division, said: "We would welcome suggestions from the local community regarding the location of a new police station and there will be further consultation should funding for the project be agreed." As well as the support unit, the new unit off the M65 would house the road policing unit, dog section, armed response unit, public protection unit (PPU), an undercover unit, crime scene investigators (CSIs), divisional intelligence teams and a drugs support team.

Collectively the units, excluding the undercover unit, PPU and CSIs, are known as operational support. Historically they have been a reactionary department.

But since early 2003 they have been used in the frontline battle against crime by carrying out targeted crackdowns on known offenders.

Yet with the various departments of operational support being based in Great Harwood, Accrington and Whitebirk it has been difficult for officers to communicate and operate as effectively as possible.

Supt Mallaby said: "There is no doubt a move to a single site will enable all departments involved in the relocations to have an even greater impact on community reassurance in the most cost effective way."

The matter will come before the police authority on Monday in a meeting at County Hall, Preston, when members will be asked to approve the preferred option of buying the Hurstwood Court offices for £4million.

However the owners of Hurstwood Court, which has 29,000sq ft of office space, are believed to prefer leasing the offices to the police at a cost of £1.4million for the first 10 years.