Doctor Who Tardis lift doors for Durham Police HQ

The six lifts have been covered in vinyl wraps, not hand painted

Lift doors designed to look like the Tardis from Doctor Who have been installed at new police headquarters in Durham.

Durham police tweeted a picture of the new doors, apologising that "time travel was not an optional extra".

A spokesman said customising the lifts showed the force could be "professional and still have a sense of humour".

Staff moved into the new £14m building next to its old base at Aykley Heads in Durham City last Autumn.

The tweet attracted one complaint saying the doors were a "waste of taxpayers money".

The six lifts were covered with vinyl wraps, not hand painted, and the cost had been "pretty modest", the spokesman for Durham Constabulary said.

Personalising the headquarters was a "bit quirky" and a "talking point" for anyone who came into the building, he added.