CONTROVERSIAL Hagley cop shop has been put up for sale at a price of £495,000.

The Kidderminster Road site comes complete with a reception area, offices, a kitchen, toilets on both floors, two detached garages and 16 parking spaces.

West Mercia Police splashed out £275,000 on refurbishing the building back in 2008 to make it compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.

But the work was later branded a complete waste of money as the station was left unmanned.

It also led to further complaints from Hagley residents due to difficult access while police could only be contacted via the access telephone.

West Mercia Police have now put the building on the market as they need to make over £20million worth of cuts.

Now Hagley residents are calling for the proceeds of the sale to be ploughed back into the community.

Fran Evans, from Hagley Residents Action Group, said: "I feel it would be appropriate if all or most of the potential £495,000 from the sale should be passed back into the Hagley area.

"This could be reinvested into policing in Hagley and surrounding smaller villages such as Clent, Belbroughton and Romsley as well as potentially into a police community post as part of the proposed new Hagley Community Hub.

"Extra police officers will certainly be needed in the Hagley area as its population is set to increase by almost 20 per cent in the next two years due to some 400 extra homes and there should be some way of ensuring that additional police resources will be provided.

"I hope something can be done with the sale proceeds from the police station to ensure the protection of people and property in the area."

A West Mercia Police spokesman said: "Hagley Police Station was decommissioned in April this year after a Community Policing Post was established for the West Mercia Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) of Hagley and Rubery using the facilities at Hagley Parish Council offices.

"Local accountability will remain central to our policing approach. Our estate will be smaller in the future and this will release money to pay for our workforce and other resources that deliver protection."