CHESHIRE Police Authority is reducing its carbon footprint by planning to install solar panels on some of its buildings.

Three police custody suites, police stations and a tactical training centre in Winsford will all house the solar panels, which will reduce the buildings’ energy bills by £17,500 a year and attract Government subsidies of about £34,000.

The panels will also provide carbon savings of 101 tonnes in the first year.

Authority chairman Margaret Ollerenshaw said the move was ‘a real opportunity to work toward a long-term goal’.

“The carbon saving is equivalent to 3% of our overall carbon emissions savings target,” she said.

“It is estimated that we would cover the half-million-pound cost of the project in about seven years.

“If energy prices rise the savings will be even higher and there is also the possibility that at least one of the buildings will produce enough electricity for some of it to be ‘exported’ for use elsewhere.”