WHILE night staff at Leominster police station witnessed the end of an era, the day shift saw the dawning of a new one.

The ribbon was cut on the new station on Enterprise Way on Monday morning at the same time as the station at Ryelands Road was locked up for the last time. The new facility has more space for officers and staff and a more welcoming environment for the public.

It sits on a 2.4-acre site and features four interview rooms, separate rooms for medical treatment, fingerprinting, photography and breathalyser testing and its own heli-pad - all of which will help officers to process suspects faster and get back to frontline policing as soon as possible.

The state-of-the-art station also has an eight-cell custody block which will become fully operational in September and, temporarily, will become the county's primary holding centre while Hereford's is rebuilt.

Residents can have a first look at the new station at an open day on Saturday, September 8.

A police helicopter, self-defence instructors, crime scene displays and children's photofit and fingerprinting sessions are among the attractions.

To mark the occasion, youngsters aged between three and 11 have been asked to design posters promoting the work of the police.

Topics include Police and Communities Together (PACT), anti-social behaviour and policing past and present. The posters must be A4 or smaller.

Entries must have a name, age, address and contact number on the back and sent to Eden Solutions, Flat 1, 329 Kings Acre Road, Hereford, HR4 0LS by August 25.