MIKE Wood MP has blasted plans for a new ‘super’ police station in Dudley, branding the announcement “bad news” for Brierley Hill.

Plans were revealed last week for the creation of a multi-million pound police base in Dudley, to be opened in 2021 on derelict land off Hall Street, close to the bypass.

The station will have a front desk open to the public, marking the return of a permanent police presence in the town since the closure of the old New Street station in 2017.

However, plans for the station have thrown the future of the Brierley Hill base into doubt, as the station in Bank Street currently serves as the borough’s main police hub and is the only station that is accessible to the public.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said the plans for Dudley were part of the force’s commitment to keeping a publicly accessible front desk in every borough of the West Midlands.

Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South, however, has slammed the plan which was announced in the same week as it was revealed Brierley Hill could scoop a slice of £25 million of national government funds to rejuvenate the High Street – which was the scene of an horrific daylight stabbing in October 2016 which killed 24-year-old Brierley Hill dad Mansoor Mahmood.

Mr Wood, whose father was a police officer, said: “I oppose this announcement, which is not in the best interest of local policing or of Brierley Hill’s regeneration.

“Brierley Hill is located right at the heart of Dudley borough and has excellent transport links to all of the towns that the police division serves, making it the right choice for the borough’s main police station.

“It’s incredible that this announcement has come a matter of days after it was announced that Brierley Hill High Street could be in line for up to £25 million in Government funding to transform the town centre.

“If this move goes ahead then it will be bad news not only for Brierley Hill, but for the residents of the majority of the borough that is outside Dudley town.”

The news of the opening comes after more than 100 stations have been closed or earmarked for closure over the past ten years across the West Midlands.