Clacton police station has been saved as force chiefs announce a massive shake-up of services but its opening hours have been halved.

The station will only be open to the public from 9am to 5pm when the changes come into place.

Essex Police says it is facing "clear and stark" financial challenges.

There are currently 25 police stations with front counters in Essex. The plan is to reduce that number to ten front counters by April 2016.

Walton, Thorpe and Mistley police stations will be sold, subject to consultation. Harwich police station will remain, but its front counter will close.

The number of PCSOs across Essex is also set to be cut from 250 to 60.

Essex Police said it is anticipating its budget will be cut by 25 per cent to £262million by 2019/20.

It added that the force's 80 buildings require £30 million of maintenance work to bring up to standard and expenditure of almost £2 million a year. 

Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: "Money is a really big part of the changes we have to make, but it’s not the only factor.

"Many of the changes we announce today would need to be made even if money wasn’t a problem.

"We need to get smarter, we need to get more efficient, and we need to put our limited resources where they can help people in need, not in to outdated buildings or outmoded styles of policing."

Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: "Some of these changes are necessary and long overdue.

"Some are difficult and painful – especially as there are likely to be many fewer PCSOs and police staff serving their communities.

"In the face of hard choices, the Chief Constable and I are determined that Essex Police will continue to do all it can to keep our county safe both now and for the future."

Clacton MP Douglas Carswell hit out at the plans, but said he was pleased that a campaign to save Clacton's police station was successful.

“I’m very pleased that we have managed to save Clacton police station," he said.

“There was a very real danger that is could close, but we pushed hard to keep it open.

“But I’m appalled that it’s going to be shut outside office hours.

“There’s been a serious increase in knife crime in the town centre – crime doesn’t just happen 9 to 5.

“I think the tragedy is that Essex Police is led by a police commissioner who has his role complete backward – instead of imposing public priorities on the police chief, he is imposing the chief’s priorities on the public.”