Police leave station due to concrete fears

Surrey Police has had to move out of its station in Reigate because of Raac

Surrey Police teams based in Reigate will move to a temporary home for up to two years, after unstable concrete was found in their building.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found at Reigate police station in October, leading to officers and staff being transferred to other sites and the front counter being moved to Caterham police station.

On Friday the force announced it would be moving to Surrey Fire and Rescue's former headquarters Wray Park, in Alma Road, about a mile from the police station.

The force said officers and civilian staff will be working in the building for between 18 and 24 months.

'Tough time'

The front counter will remain at Caterham, as there is no suitable location for it at Wray Park.

Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, Lisa Townsend said: “This has been a tough time for our policing teams based at Reigate and I want to say thank you to all of them for their understanding while this challenging situation was addressed."

The force said it hoped to have the move completed by Christmas.