A FIREARMS centre used by police forces from across the South West could be built at Black Rock Quarry in Portishead.

The former quarry on Valley Road, currently used as a recycling centre by North Somerset Council, is earmarked to be the site of a new indoor firearms centre used by Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Wiltshire Police and Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The firearms centre, with "modern bespoke training facilities", would be 100m in length and built opposite the recycling centre. Because of the length needed for the new building, no site could be found at Portishead police HQ.

No residential facilities will be built and no weapons would be stored on site overnight, instead they will be driven between the quarry and armoury at police HQ.

Twenty trainers and staff will be based on site, and it is scheduled to open in 2014.

Assistant chief constable Rod Hansen said: "We want local communities to feel safe and be safe. Training our police officers so they have the right skills and expertise will help us to achieve this goal.

"The new Firearms Training Centre will provide us with a state of the art facility that meets our needs now and in the future. This is the first stage of the process and we will consult regularly with local communities and interest groups throughout the process."

In a briefing to North Somerset Council, the police revealed that they are aware of the ecologic sensitivity of the Black Rock Quarry site, and promised to work with the community and groups such as Friends of the Earth to put wildlife "at the heart" of the project.

Residents and businesses in Portishead are being invited to attend a public consultation on February 8 to find out more about the plans.

A drop-in session is being held on Monday between 2.30pm and 7pm at the Methodist Church Hall on High Street, which will include a 'meet the team' session from 5pm to 7pm.