BEAMINSTER town councillors were alarmed to hear plans for Beaminster Police officers to share the fire station now the town’s police station is on the market.

PCSO Kati Jervis told councillors the news at their council meeting on Monday.

She said: “The police station has been on the market for a few weeks now but we haven’t been told there is any interest so far.

“We are meeting with the staff at the fire station this week to discuss what we will be doing but we haven’t been told officially whether or not if this is going to coincide with the sale of the station.”

Cllr Janet Page said although it was a good idea to put the two services together there was nowhere secure or confidential in the fire station building.

She said: “There doesn’t seem to be anywhere where you can interview people and nowhere to keep stuff secure.

“I wonder if it would be helpful if we as a council wrote to the chief constable to say if the police force is making some money for sale of the police station and the police house whether it would be possible for some of that money to be used for a really secure accommodation for the police up there.”

PCSO Jervis said the team had its own concerns about the whether the facilities at the fire station would be adequate.

She said: “We will be expected to share that space at any time with any member of the public that comes to speak to the fire service or any fire officers that use the space.

“We definitely would appreciate any help the council could give us.

“We are pleased that we will be staying in Beaminster town because the alternative would be to move to Bridport station which would not work at all but it is a concern at the moment whether or not it is going to work for us at the fire station.”

Cllr Page said it was the last thing the town needed, for its officers to be moved to Bridport.

PCSO Jervis added there would be no direct phone line to the police at the fire station because there was no way of guaranteeing who would answer the phone.

Council chairman Christopher Turner said an important part of the role of the police was confidentiality, which would not be possible at the fire station.