AS the diggers rolled in people across the town said farewell to a building that has dominated the town centre skyline for years.

Demolition work has begun on the old Central Police Station in Fleming Way.

The force closed the doors on the old station in October last year and it has been sitting empty since.

Built in the early 1960s, it served as the town's main police station until officers relocated to new headquarters at Gablecross in August.

Chief Insp Adrian Griffiths said he was sad to see the old building torn down. "I started my career in the building as a young man 23 years ago, and so I have a certain sense of personal loss.

"The Central Police Station was a significant part of the Swindon landscape for a long time, and it will seem strange to have other buildings on the site.

"However times move on and the building was just no longer suitable for our needs as it was of an old fashioned construction and too small." But he was keen to stress there are still officers based in the town centre.

"The police station at Linden Court in Henry Street has been open for several months now, and is being used more and more by the public," he said.

The new headquarters building was funded by a private finance initiative and cost £19.5m.

At the official opening of the new building Chief Constable Martin Richards said the new site, which brought all the police departments under one roof, was not the whole story.

"The police are not about bricks and mortar. It is about a sense of spirit, faith and community," he said.

"This is not an out-of-town police station but a facility for the people of Swindon."

The old Fleming Way site has been acquired by the South West Regional Development Agency.

The Town centre policing team work from the Linden Court offices and the enquiry office is open Monday to Saturday 9am until 12.30pm and 1.30pm until 5.30pm.