THE government has been warned by Tory MPs Nigel Evans and Andrew Stephenson against resurrecting plans to merge Lancashire Police with its Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cumbria neighbours.

Britain’s most senior police officer yesterday called for radical action as forces face ‘years of more austerity and shrinking budgets’ whoever is in power.

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Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said police forces in England and Wales should merge and share resources with other emergency services.

Ribble Valley MP Mr Evans and his Pendle colleague Mr Stephenson feared his intervention could revive former Labour Home Secretary Charles Clarke’s 2005 plan to merge Lancashire and its neighbouring forces.

The scheme to reduce England and Wales’ 43 forces to 17, or even nine, was dropped because of huge opposition.

Mr Evans has written to Home Secretary Theresa May demanding she publicly rule out any merger.

In his letter, Mr Evans said: “Not only will such a reorganisation cost the taxpayer a huge amount of money, there is also the problem of a loss of identity and accountability between the public and the police.

“Under such proposals it is probable that Lancashire Constabulary would be put within the same super-force as Greater Manchester and Merseyside, with policing being moved even further away from the Ribble Valley.

“Rural areas would undoubtedly lose out to such changes and, while the Ribble Valley has a very low crime rate, its residents still pay their taxes and deserve to have a police force that understands their neighbourhoods and can effectively police their area.”

“I strongly urge and hope that you will publicly state your opposition to these proposals.’ Mr Stephenson said: “I strongly support Nigel on this.

“The merger plan for the North West went down like a lead balloon last time and would do so again.

“It would be daft.”