Demolition of a former police station has begun after plans to turn it into five homes were approved.

The site in London Road, Deal, was put up for sale in 2021 after several years of not being used to its full capacity - with officers covering the town mainly working from Dover instead.

Now, developer Arrested Developments, based in Menzies Road, Whitfield, has started knocking down the site, with huge piles of rubble surrounding what is left of the building.

The police station, which was built in 1889, was put on the market in 2021.

At the time, head of divisional operations for east Kent, Superintendent Simon Thompson offered reassurance this would cause no detrimental effect to responses.

It was also confirmed there were no active custody cells at the station.

Arrested Developments then put in plans to turn the main part of the building into three terraced homes, and build two four-bedroomed semi-detached houses to the rear.

In January, the plans were slammed with objections from residents and Deal Town Council, who said the site would be “over-developed”, and raised concerns about access for emergency service vehicles, parking, and a lack of green space.

But council planning officers recommended permission for the development, saying there was a need for housing and the scheme would not badly affect the character and appearance of the area or the living conditions of neighbours.

The officers' report had said existing vehicular access to the site would be kept and there would be two spaces per home in off-street parking.

Despite concerns raised, the development was approved with nine votes in favour and one against.