Police chiefs have been summoned to a meeting with Maldon councillors concerned about the loss of PCSOs, closing police stations and falling solved rates.

Maldon District Council’s crime and disorder committee will grill officers on November 18, after a meeting last month heard just 2.3 per cent of the 342 burglaries committed in the year before August were solved.

The meeting took place on the same week it was announced police s t a t i o n s, i n c l u d i n g those at Southminster and South Woodham Ferrers, were earmarked for closure as part of cuts which will see most PCSO roles axed.

Ahead of next week’s meeting, the committee’s chairman Adrian Fluker, said: “The committee has recently expressed its concerns over rising crime, poor solved rates and the level of resources that are deployed in the area."