Twickenham's police station will close for a period of "six to nine months", as it undergoes refurbishment.

A statement from the Met Police confirmed that the front desk of the station will close from 2pm on Friday (January 24) in preparation for the refurbishment work.

But police reassured the public that the closure would only be temporary and that most services would be moved to Teddington Police Station - with the front desk opening their from Friday.

Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar, commander of the South West Basic Command Unit, said: "The refurbishment of Twickenham Station is a necessary process. 

"The building in its current form doesn't provide our staff with the facilities or equipment to provide the best possible service to our communities.

"While i'm aware the temporary closure of the front counter at Twickenham may be a concern to some residents, I would like to stress that this is temporary - this police station and its 24-hour front counter will re-open as soon as refurbishments have been completed.

"At no point will there be a gap in the ability of the public to gain immediate access to a police station in the local area, Teddington Police Station, which is less than 2 miles away from our current base at Twickenham, will be re-opened as the 24/7 front counter for communities in the local area."

The work, due to begin in February, will see the station transformed into a "more modern building", including more flexible floor space for the growing team and the ability to continue to man a 24/7 front desk for the public.

It is also expected that running costs for the estate will be reduced, with a suggestion that the leftover funds would be invested back into frontline policing.

While services for the public will transfer to Teddington, some officers will be relocated to nearby Kingston, while some Neighbourhood officers will remain in Twickenham.

Chief Superintendent Benatar continued: "Our top priority is ensuring members of the public can access the help they need and there are a range of ways for the public to contact the police, including online via our website www.met.police.uk, on the phone via 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency, via Crimestoppers anonymously, or by contacting our Safer Neighbourhood officers. All the facilities available at the Twickenham front counter will be available at Teddington."