Putney police station, which closed last week, will re-open today following protests.

The decision to reopen - with reduced hours - was taken by Borough Commander Joe Royle.

He said: "Following discussions with Putney MP Justine Greening and the council and after having listened to community concerns, I reconsidered the position and decided to open the station with reduced hours."

The station had to be shut on Friday, January 6, after the person who staffed the front desk was transferred to work in Merton.

Wandsworth police are over their quota of the amount of civilian staff allowed, so the front desk will be staffed by a rota of police officers and civilian staff with volunteers also likely to be recruited to maintain the servic.

Council leader Edward Lister, who held a meeting with Supt Royle following the closure, said he welcomed the decision to re-open the station.

He said: "I am delighted that the Borough Commander has been able to find a way of keeping this valuable service open for the people of Putney."

The emphasis will now be on advertising the location of the police station, as councillors believe this is why the resource is underused.

Leader of the opposition Councillor Stuart King said: "The focus of everyone's effort police, council and public should be to ensure that many more residents use the facility than the handful who currently do.

"An obvious step would be to better publicise the location and availability of this service."

Coun Lister added: "The real problem here is the way the Borough Commander's hands are tied over local spending decisions."

The new opening hours will be Monday to Friday 11am to 2pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.

To volunteer contact police volunteer co-ordinator Derek Hammond on 020 8247 7512.