Police counters in Biggar Carluke and Lesmahagow to close

This comes despite major campaigns to maintain these points of direct, personal contact between officers and the public they serve.

The only consolation for Clydesdale is that the counter at its police headquarters in Lanark is to remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, the loss of the other three counters has been attacked as being an example of how the new single Police Scotland force is becoming “too centralised”.

That is the opinion of David Mundell, the MP for Biggar who mounted a petition campaign to prevent its station’s counter closing.

Commenting on the announcement that this had failed, he said: “I am disappointed but not very surprised.

“Police Scotland isn’t the kind of organisation to take account of local concerns.

“This decision is despite a petition against it signed by over 500 of my constituents, not only from Biggar but the vast hinterland the police station there serves.

“These constituents don’t want to have to travel all the way from, say, Abington and Leadhills to Lanark to see a police officer.”

For more on this story, pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette.