LITTLEPORT could get its own police office under an ambitious project to turn run-down toilets on High Street into a £60,000 station. Police have allocated money in this year s budget to transform the lavatories, but the project is being held up by local

LITTLEPORT could get its own police office under an ambitious project to turn run-down toilets on High Street into a £60,000 station.

Police have allocated money in this year's budget to transform the lavatories, but the project is being held up by local authority paperwork.

"We've had the toilets earmarked for police for a very long time," said parish council clerk Lynda Clarke-Jones.

"The toilets were decommissioned in 1997 or 98, and we wanted to turn the site into a police office three or four years ago. The police have got enough money in their budget this year to create an office and we are keen for them to have a presence here."

Littleport parish council owns the dilapidated public toilet building on High Street, but highways rights prevent the land being developed. The parish council cannot transfer a lease to Cambridgeshire Police until they pay a £2-3,000 legal fee to have the rights revoked by a magistrate and receive a transfer document from the county council legal department. Police then plan to take over the lease at peppercorn rent.

Assistant clerk to Littleport Parish Council Helen Merrick, said: "The parish council hopes to give police the lease by the end of the year.