No one has turned up to visit police officers at contact meetings were arranged after a police station controversially closed, it has emerged.

Officers were made available three times a week to consult with the public at the cafe at Tesco in Gainsborough Road, Leytonstone, after the closure of the station in Kirkdale Road in October.

But at a community forum meeting last night concerns were raised about the ability for people to raise confidential issues in a public place, while Inspector Paul Barrie admitted not a single person had attended the meetings.

Speaking at last night’s meeting at St John’s Church hall, in High Road, Leytonstone, Cllr Jenny Gray, criticised the arrangement.

She said: “We need a proper contact point.

“It is inadequate at the moment because you cannot talk about confidential issues in a cafe where people can see you speaking to police officers.

“It is not somewhere people walk to if they have an issue, it is rather somewhere people drive to from Redbridge and across Waltham Forest.

“We were promised the police would look into a more appropriate contact point.”

Inspector Barrie admitted he had concerns about the location.

He said: “Feedback from officers is that no one comes to Costa to speak to police and I am not convinced it is good enough location.

“We are looking at a more appropriate place to hold it.

“I think it is a mixture of people not wanting to speak to police in such a public place and that people do not know it is happening.”

He also confirmed that senior officers in Waltham Forest opposed the station closure of Leytonstone’s last remaining police station.

He added: “I have not met anyone pleased about the closure of the police station.

“All senior officers in the borough were against it and the matter was taken out of our hands and was a decision made by the Mayor’s office.

“There are cutbacks across the public sector and I can confirm the station will not be coming back.”