A POP-UP police station has been set up on a Canvey caravan park.

Officers will be at the temporary station in Thorney Bay Park every morning for an hour to speak to islanders.

The station is intended to help residents in the caravan park and across the island.

Sgt Mark McQuade said: “It’s been really popular. The park has given it the OK and has been really supportive.”

Islanders have long complained about a lack of police presence on Canvey and Sgt McQuade said he hoped the new base would go some way to ensuring there were “visible”

officers on the island.

Sgt McQuade said: “It’s about safeguarding the community and it is a very hard community to reach. There’s so many people in one area and it is relatively isolated.

“We are trying the pop-up station to give them an improved service and support them if they’re having any issues – it’s about having a visible presence.”

The station has so far proved a success, with a steady stream of residents coming to speak to officers.

John O’Dell, health and safety manager at the caravan park, said: “We’ve been liaising with the police like this for the last eight years.

“We used to facilitate them with a hut and now we have given them a larger area.

“It’s not just for Thorney Bay residents, it’s for the whole of Canvey. We see it as a positive thing and it’s working very well.

“The the response has been excellent.

“Residents on the site and off-site are well pleased.

“They can come to the officer on duty with any of concerns and volunteer information anonymously.

“It’s a good thing to have and it’s working well for the community.”

Officers are on site every day between 10am and 11am.

Canvey’s permanent police station, in Long Road, is open six days a week, from noon until 6pm, Monday to Saturday.