COLEFORD police station reopens on Saturday with a new name – from now on it will be known as the Forest of Dean police station – while Lydney station is being mothballed.

The former magistrates’ court building, which shares the Coleford site, will be home to the Community Rehabilitation Company, which is responsible for rehabilitation and offender management, and to the National Probation Service. It will also provide a space for use by the community.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Martin Surl said: “It has taken much longer than I hoped, but now that the entire site is owned by the PCC, I can deliver on my 2012 promise to make it the main base or ‘hub’ for policing and other criminal justice services in the Forest.

“Although the police will no longer operate from Lydney police station, the building is being retained by the PCC for other possible use in the future should the economy improve.

“It is important for law enforcement in the Forest that the area retains its own identity. I believe that developing Coleford as a hub for the police and other criminal justice services is crucial to that.”