Southend police station is so overcrowded, some officers are forced to work in the corridor.

Essex Police have now won permission for a new temporary building in the station car park to ease the pressure.

A report to Southend councillors said: "The unit is required to accommodate staff who are currently working in unsatisfactory conditions, including some based in the corridor. Eventually, they will be located in the former stables which are to be converted into permanent office space." There are around 250 staff employed at the station in Victoria Avenue, operating in three shifts.

No additional people are to be employed there as a result of the plan, although seven car parking spaces would be lost.

Planning officials said: "Because it is not realistic or sensible for additional accommodation to be provided off-site, and the fact that it is temporary, it is appropriate to grant planning permission on a temporary, three-year basis."

An Essex Police spokesman said the move was aimed at addressing accommodation difficulties at Southend.

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