TWO New Forest police stations are to merge this year as part of a countywide belt-tightening scheme to divert cash from rural to urban areas.

New Milton police station is to lose its inspector by April 1, amalgamating with Lymington's station five miles away.

The move is dictated by a new police resource allocation formula announced last year which will lead to ten fewer constables working in the New Forest so money can be channelled into areas with higher crime figures.

Of 151 posts in the Forest, five have already gone through natural wastage. The chairman of New Milton council, Goff Beck, has condemned the plan's impact on his town.

"As New Milton failed to be included in the recent bid for CCTV from the Home Office, the reduction of police presence is rubbing salt into an already weeping wound," he said.

"Recently, both New Milton and Ashley town centres have been subjected to increases in antisocial behaviour - including broken shop windows, arson, damage to bus shelters and to parked vehicles."

Boxing Day saw just the sort of vandalism Cllr Beck was referring to - windows were smashed in the Old Smithy gift Shop and The Retreat beauty salon and police have appealed for witnesses.

Simon Hayes, chairman of Hampshire and Isle of Wight police authority, said the Chief Constable had made the wrong decision over the new formula.

"I understand he is under pressure to direct resources to urban areas. Regrettably this will be to the detriment of rural areas," he said.

But the Forest's top cop Supt Barry Talbot said that though no commander was happy to lose officers, the changes would eventually improve the service across the Forest.

"The new allocation formula is a more scientific method," he said.

"It is more flexible and the most appropriate choice to provide effective deployment in the New Forest - with the finite resources we have. For example, Hythe will benefit from the allocation formula, as it is consistently busiest."

Supt Talbot said that under the new plan, New Milton's inspector John Heath would be commander of the merged New Milton/Lymington sector.

Lymington's present inspector Gerry Hutchings would be freed up for the new role of Inspector in charge of the Crime Incident management and Intelligence teams at district police HQ in Lyndhurst.

"There is so much to do to develop the service across the whole Forest. Using Intelligence, we can deploy officers where they are most needed," said Supt. Talbot.

"We have not sorted out the fine details for the new merged sector yet, but New Milton will retain a beat team, its 9-5 inquiry office and its area BMW.

"The Lymington/New Milton sector as a whole will have an allocation to meet its need - significantly more than in the other Forest sectors of Totton, Hythe and Ringwood."

What do you think about the merger? Contact our Lymington newsroom on 01590 613803 or e-mail newsdesk@ soton-echo.co.uk