CHESHIRE Police may reduce the charges residents pay to contact them by telephone.

The non-emergency telephone number it provides is currently prefixed 0845 - a non-geographical number that costs up to 40p a minute from a mobile phone and 4p a minute on a BT landline during the day.

In the past, 0845 calls were charged at local rate, but the price of geographical calls has fallen.

However, the price of 0845 calls has remained roughly the same and Cheshire Police is also paid revenue from the use of its 0845 number by its provider, Opal Telecom, a part of Carphone Warehouse Group.

Cheshire Police will not disclose how much money it makes from these calls.

On its website it says: "This information is commercially sensitive and is covered by an exemption in accordance with Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000."

The statement goes on to say that a public interest test was carried out when making this decision.

The Association of Chief Police Officers is advising forces to change their numbers to 0345 numbers, which communications regulator Ofcom say cost no more than a normal UK call.

An alternative could be reverting to a local 01925 number, routed through Cheshire Police's call centre.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said it is considering the issue.