The Met has confirmed Hornsey police station will close as part of London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to raise £165million by selling off front counter buildings across the capital.

Supt Nigel Brookes said the date of the closure has yet to be confirmed but “it is likely to be by the end of the year” with some officers remaining at the Tottenham Lane site until the Met finds alternative accommodation, or “hubs”, for wards in the west of the borough.

Options include buildings used by other emergency services or by the council.

The closure follows police reports of a drop in visits to station front counters at a time when the force has to make a further £400m worth of budget cuts by 2021.

Sadiq Khan said: “Government cuts to policing budgets have left us with no choice but to take drastic action and make some very difficult decisions.

“Keeping Londoners safe is my number-one priority, and supporting officers out on the beat in our communities is more important than keeping open buildings that are simply not used by the vast majority of the public,” he added.

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Catherine West said: “‘Hornsey Police Station is a beacon of security in our community that is being put out by increasing government cuts. The local community prizes the police station - and for good reason. It provides an everyday link between the people of Hornsey and Wood Green and the police, helping the Met carry out their community policing effectively.

“I have strongly opposed the closure of the police station at every stage, writing to Home Secretary Amber Rudd and securing a debate in Parliament on police cuts, but unfortunately the government has ignored the pleas of our community.

“I will continue to campaign at every opportunity for proper funding for the Metropolitan Police in Parliament,” she added.

Supt Brookes said Haringey now has two officers dedicated to each of the borough’s 19 wards with a police community support officer (PCSO) in each.

The Met hopes officers will be able to remain in their wards for longer after getting laptops and tablets to carry around with them rather than being forced to return to a police station to complete paperwork.

Supt Brookes added: “These officers will only be abstracted from their wards in exceptional circumstances.”

Haringey’s 24-hour front counter will stay in Tottenham either in a new building or in the existing High Road station.

Under the savings plans released today Sadiq Khan aims to raise £165m by selling off station buildings across London “to invest in ensuring frontline police are properly equipped”.

Commenting, Crouch End resident David Winskill said: “Hornsey police station has been a local landmark for well over a hundred years. I hope whoever the new owners are they will respect itscontribution to the area and the building will remain for future generations.”

Anyone who wants to get in touch with the police is now encouraged to do so through social media or via the met.police.uk website or by telephone with plans to improve the 101 service, criticised for long waiting times.

A minimum of a one hour meeting would be held each week during which people would have a further opportunity to speak to an officer.