Town's police station to move before Christmas

Reading's police station will be based at Atlantic House in Whitley from the end of November

A town's police station will move to a new location at the end of this month, Thames Valley Police (TVP) has confirmed.

Its Reading base in Castle Street was one of the largest in Europe when it opened in 1976 but the force said it was too expensive to run and has been looking to move since 2012.

Initially, TVP had planned to move its Reading staff in 2022 but its contractor went into administration and then refitting work had to take place.

The Castle Street station's front counter will stay open until 25 November and the new front counter at Atlantic House in Imperial Way, Whitley, will open on 27 November.

TVP said the work was a "significant step in modernising our force's infrastructure to ensure we can continue to deliver an excellent service for our communities".

Supt Colin Hudson, the operational commander for the relocation of Reading Station, said leading the project has been a "real privilege".

He added: "Castle Street has been a main operating base for nearly half a century and this move reflects the force's commitment to investing in community policing and has involved a range of departments working together to complete this major project."