It’s lit up like a beacon bathing passers-by in a blaze of white light.

Yet the towering landmark building – Southampton’s new £30m cop shop – has yet to welcome any of its 500 staff. And there has been no sign of activity among the eight floors being illuminated all night.

Green campaigners and spending watchdogs last night branded it a waste of money.

It comes as Hampshire Constabulary proudly announced its backing of national Energy Saving Week as part of its Wave Goodbye to Waste campaign.

But last night police and builders said the lights were on as a health and safety and security measure The force is preparing to axe up to 1,400 staff, one-fifth of its workforce, to meet the funding cuts announced by the Government last week.

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John Spottiswoode from the Southampton Green Party said: “Leaving lights on is a major waste of electricity in all office buildings. That the police are doing it in such a prominent building sends out the wrong message and is a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

A spokesman from The TaxPayers’ Alliance added: “It’s ridiculous that the police are burning money and energy like this at the same time as claiming to cut out waste.

“Few people will see the sense in it. There are going to be deep cuts to police budgets so they should be trying to save cash wherever they can to protect frontline policing.”

Work on the new police headquarters in Southern Road was largely completed in the summer.

The 8,500 square metre interior is now being fitted out ready to replace the central police station at the Civic Centre, which is closing for to make way for a new Sea City Museum. The offices will house 500 workers including the crime scene investigation and criminal justice units and a 36-cell custody suite. Hampshire Constabulary, which has pledged to become a more energy-efficient force by cutting its energy consumption by 15 per cent, claimed the building was still a “construction site” and it would not take possession until January 12.

A spokeswoman insisted: “The building will continue to be the responsibility of Kier until that date.”

She added: “The constabulary recognises that there are specific industry regulations relating to site security and health and safety requirements which the developer must adhere too, and these govern the management and control of the building whilst it is still under construction."

Kier Southern said the lights were to “accommodate late working” and were an “interim security measure until the external lighting is installed”.

The spokeswoman added: “All internal lighting will shortly have passive infra-red sensors so that unoccupied parts of the interior will not be lit.”