POLICE are to close cells in Dolgellau which cost more a night for a prisoner stay than a five star hotel.

But concerns have been raised locally that Merionnydd will be left unmanned for hours while prisoners are taken to Caernarfon or Aberystwyth.

Police chiefs say the custody suite is being closed because it is not safe and costs £624 per prisoner per day. A bed and breakfast stay at the Savoy Hotel in London sets you back £464 a night.

The decision to close the custody facilities was taken by the chief constable, Mark Polin, and has been endorsed by the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones.

The police say the money saved will pay for extra sergeants and four constables ‘predominantly’ in Meirionnydd.

Chief Constable Mr Polin said: “The decision to close Dolgellau Custody Unit is an operational one and it has been taken following a period of detailed discussion and unfortunately we are left with no viable alternative particularly when it comes to the safety of detainees and my staff.

“On average only one prisoner a day is detained in custody in Dolgellau, making any consideration of rebuilding or modernising financially non-viable.”

Delwyn Evans, Dolgellau’s deputy mayor, is desperately worried about the number of services being lost in Dolgellau, just a week after speaking out on the closure of the town’s dental practice.

“Prisoners will be taken from Dolgellau and taken up to Caernarfon and they’ll require two escort officers.

“That means there’ll be no police presence in Dolgellau for hours, it’s a terrible shame.

Read the full story in today’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News