Closure of Wanstead and Woodford police stations would leave the area a ‘sitting target’ for criminals, officers have been warned.

The Metropolitan Police is consulting over proposals to shut front counters at both stations as it attempts to make £500 million of savings across the city in the next two years.

But its plans for the future policing of the borough were torn apart at a meeting of Redbridge Council’s area two committee on Tuesday.

While the number of PCSOs is set to increase by 68, councillors fear that police plans to divide the borough into three areas of up to nine wards each would be a disaster for local policing.

Roding ward councillor Ian Bond said; “What will happen in the future is we will have police teams in somebody else’s neighbourhood.

“Nine wards is a huge area and it makes you wonder whether they are making the area so big so they can base teams in Barkingside.”

Monkhams ward councillor Linda Huggett said: “If both police stations go we will have a complete and utter black hole in the west of the borough.

“This area would be a sitting target for criminal elements.”

If stations are closed, the police have said they would consider using alternative public access points including supermarkets, post offices and council buildings

Speaking to the Guardian on Monday, Superintendent Zander Gibson, who is deputy to the Borough Commander, Sue Williams, said residents could expect to see a greater police presence under the new plans.

He added: “We would target areas of high footfall which would actually broaden our ability to get to the root of people’s concerns.

“I see it as a positive because I think it will actually make us more accessible.”