Police have spent about £270,000 on hiring interpreters across the county over the last three years, new figures reveal.

Across the wider force area, West Mercia Constabulary spent almost £1 million on helping non-English speakers understand police proceedings.

The figures cover spending in the last three financial years and were released to the Shropshire Star by West Mercia Constabulary following a Freedom of Information request.

They show how the Telford & Wrekin division spent £160,471, while in the rest of Shropshire £112,800 was spent.The Hereford division, which looks after the Leominster area, spent £162,216.

And the costs look to be climbing year on year with the figures showing an upward trend.

Across the force area, which has divisions in north and south Worcestershire, Hereford, Shrewsbury and Telford & Wrekin, £278,694 was spent in 2005/6.

By 2007/8 it rose to £386,223 – an increase of about 39 per cent

In 2005/6, Shrewsbury division spent £33,831, but by 2007/8 the figure rose to £40,820 – an increase of about 21 per cent.

In 2005/6, Telford & Wrekin division spent £50,207 which rose to £53,218 in 2007/8 – a rise of about six per cent.

Telford police spokesman Chris Ammonds said : “The figures for Telford & Wrekin are in line with what we would expect when you consider the varied, multi-cultural communities that the borough now contains.

“The slight increase since 2005/6 is also something we would expect as the figures are likely to be relative to the increase in migrant workers.”

Mark Wallace of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, however, criticised the level of spending.

He said: “It’s important that tourists or people who are here temporarily have access to such a facility, but all too often translators are being hired to assist people who have lived here for years.”