AN EAST Lothian councillor has defended the proposed closure of North Berwick Police Station. 

In August, Police Scotland launched a public consultation on closing three East Lothian police stations – Dunbar, North Berwick and Prestonpans.

READ MORE: Dunbar, North Berwick and Prestonpans police stations could close

During Tuesday's meeting of North Berwick Community Council, Councillor Liz Allan, North Berwick Coastal ward member, defended the possibility of the town's police station being closed. 

She said: "I don't think that if the police station were to close it would have an impact on North Berwick. 

"The building is not fit for purpose, as it is full of small rooms and it is just not appropriate for a police station to fulfil its duties for the community. 

"However, there are a lot of positive things you could do with the building instead of it being a police station."

Kenny Miller, chair of North Berwick Community Council, said: "Due to North Berwick's location off the A1, I believe that we would get less of a response time if police officers were having to travel from the likes of Tranent. 

"I do believe that having a police station in a town is a positive thing to have." 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The public consultation on our proposal to dispose of North Berwick was launched on Friday, August 23, and will be open until Friday, September 20.

"Anyone wanting to provide comment and feedback can do so via our engagement hub. Once the consultation ends, a consultation report will be produced and published on our website.

"Any future decision made on the future of North Berwick will be communicated.”