THE Forest police force has been dealt another crushing blow as plans are revealed to slash services at Cinderford and Lydney stations.
Police have confirmed that from June there will be no police reception services at either station.
Instead, the force says it will be concentrating staff at the county's main stations in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud.
A shortfall in government funding and a lower than hoped for rise in the police council tax precept have been blamed for the cuts.
The force says an independent review of public demand for police reception services in 2005 and 2008 showed a drop in footfall at Forest stations.
Officers and staff will still be manning the stations, but locals will have to contact the police via telephone or the internet.
Assistant Chief Constable Twydell said: "The actions following the front of house review need to take into account the changing needs of our communities, the financial constraints under which we are operating and our overall drive towards improving our service to the public.
"We need to match our opening hours to local demand and to ensure that best use is made of our resources, hence more staff will be available at our main stations in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud in order to provide a quicker, more efficient and cost-effective service.
"We are also enhancing the information available on our website and our telephone support, thereby reducing the need for people to attend at police stations.
"I would like to reiterate that our contact centre can be contacted on 0845 090 1234 and of course in an emergency the public need to call 999.
"For less urgent matters, individual officers can be contacted via e-mail and we have the facility to receive text and multi-media messages via a special number."
Members of the public are encouraged to contact the Forest North and South Safer Community Teams and to attend their surgeries and meetings.
The county's three mobile police stations will also continue to operate on a prearranged schedule.