RADCLIFFE Police Station has been sold at auction to a mystery buyer.

The station, in Railway Street, was sold for £150,000 in an auction at the AJ Bell Stadium, in Salford, on July 19.

In November last year, the Radcliffe Times reported that Greater Manchester Police bosses were shutting their stations in Radcliffe, Ramsbottom, and four other locations as part of cost-cutting plans.

The station was already closed to the public and only visited by officers, who are instead based in Whitefield, to either use a computer or have a cup of tea on their break.

In February, the Ramsbottom station was sold for £226,000 by Pugh Auctions, while bases in Failsworth, Northenden, and Mossley have also been sold for a combined £572,000.

GMP initially hoped that the sale of the stations would raise a one-off figure of at least £700,000 and would also result in annual savings of £100,000 going forward.

When the closures were announced, Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: "Police officers don’t need to be based in police stations in order to deliver local policing.

"By embedding neighbourhood policing at the heart of the service, developing the use of mobile data, and working much more closely with partner agencies, officers are now more visible in local communities, whether that’s out on the street, sharing a council building or in the local library."

In June and July, staff shortages at Whitefield Police Station often meant that residents were forced to travel to the Bury Divisional Headquarters if they wanted to speak with police officers face-to-face.

The report on the GMP review of the stations said: "Radcliffe is currently used by a small number of officers for refreshments and to occasionally use a computer. The annual revenue costs of the building are £14,000. The division have secured a room in Radcliffe Library as a better alternative to the station."