CATFORD police station is one of eight emergency sites being used across London to hold prisoners when prisons across the UK reach bursting point.

The police station in Bromley Road is being used to hold people on remand and prisoners handed custodial sentences.

Lewisham officers are being drafted in to do overtime to guard prisoners under the scheme, called Operation Safeguard.

The Home Office is paying the police around £385 per prisoner per day as part of the deal.

Figures released to News Shopper after a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) show the number of prisoners being homed in Catford varies on a day-to-day basis.

On January 22 all of Catford's 12 cells were used under the scheme, which would have cost the Home Office £4,620.

The figures have dropped over the past week.

Former Detective Inspector David Michael, who is chairman of Lewisham Community Police Consultative Group, is in talks with Lewisham police about the issue.

He said: "I hope magistrates and judges will consider using methods of rehabilitation where appropriate to ease the pressure on prisons.

"As I understand it, officers at Catford police station will be drafted in on overtime to look after the prisoners, rather than using up day-to-day police resources.

"Catford has been reserved in the past for special operations, such as for holding football hooligans, so I am sure the officers there will be used to this sort of activity in the cells."

Nationwide, around 400 prisons cells have been identified to contain the overspill of prisoners.

A Met Police spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service is continuing to work closely with the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers and has identified up to eight sites across London which will be offered to the Prison Service under Operation Safeguard.

"Currently they are being used as overflow cells to manage peaks in demand for custody spaces."

Met-wide, there are a maximum of 80 spaces. The other sites are Orpington, Harrow Road, Kensington, Brentford, Hornchurch, Barnet and Whetstone.

The majority of prisoners are housed for one night, which extends to two nights over the weekend as Saturday prisoners are not collected until Monday.

Information supplied by the Met Police under the FOI Act revealed no juvenile prisoners (those aged under 18) have been housed in Met Cells under Operation Safeguard.