Half of the police stations in Tower Hamlets are facing closure, as the Metropolitan Police attempts to make �500m savings by 2016.

The three stations put up for closure in a draft strategy document published by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) are Isle of Dogs, Poplar and Bow.

Budget cuts facing the Met are likely to result in closures of stations across London – with only two boroughs set to retain their full quota.

Brick Lane, Bethnal Green and Limehouse police stations are due to remain open under the plans.

The plans are likely to spark outcry within the borough, just days after a freedom of information request revealed that 161 officers had been taken off the beat in Tower Hamlets during the past two years.