CUTS to Cheshire Constabulary have been branded as ‘disastrous’ by Warrington North MP Helen Jones.

Her comment follows an announcement from the force that up to £36.5 million cuts over the next four years will have to be made and more than 200 officers cud be taken off the streets.

Mrs Jones said: “This Government is gambling with the safety of communities in Warrington by slashing the police’s funding by over £20 million in the next two years and possibly by as much as £36.5 million over the next four years.

“There is no way that taking over 200 officers and a significant number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets won’t have an impact on the level of crime in Warrington.”

She said crime has fallen by more than a third in the past 10 years due to Labour giving officers the resources needed to bring crime down.

She added: “It’s time for the Conservative-led Government to rethink this gamble and I will continue to scrutinise the effects of these disastrous cuts.”