A petition is calling on police chiefs to reopen custody cells in Watford.

The closure of police cells at Watford Police Station means hundreds of people arrested in south west Hertfordshire have to be driven to Hatfield.

Officers say it can take four hours to get there and complete the paperwork, eating into time they can spend on the street.

But the petition, which has been addressed to Home Secretary Theresa May MP, says Hertfordshire’s police and crime commissioner David Lloyd should “urgently rethink this idea”.

It reads: “Watford is Hertfordshire’s biggest and busiest town with major motorways and rail stations and is very close to London.

“It has an increasing population and has been made busier now Watford FC have been promoted.

“It is crazy that a town the size of Watford does not have its own custody suite."

Watford’s custody suite, which was closed while officers were trained on a new computer system, was due to reopen this month. But last Wednesday, police chiefs closed it for good.

In almost two months, 161 people were arrested in Watford and taken to Hatfield. Fifty nine people were booked into cells in Hatfield after being arrested in Three Rivers. Twelve people were arrested in Bushey and detained in Hatfield.

One police officer, who asked not to be named, said: “At any one time, there are maybe 18 police officers in Watford and ten in Rickmansworth. What happens if there is a critical incident? Back-up is at least 40 minutes away.