Kent’s police and crime commissioner has stepped in over a complex legal tussle over a Kent Police station.

Matthew Scott has terminated a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract covering north Kent police station in Northfleet in the latest twist.

Mr Scott had been in talks with the administrators of the contract, which involve a deal with contractors costing around £5.5m a year, to see if there was a way forward but in a statement he revealed no agreement could be reached.

As a last resort, the PCC terminated the PFI contract, which came into effect on Thursday, August 31, on the grounds of contractor default. Termination will bring the building under the direct control of Kent Police.

The force has been involved in a complex dispute which related to a contract it had with the contractors to cover service charges and managing facilities.

Kent Police had argued the consortium, Justice Support Services, was not meeting the terms of the contract and since last March, had withheld payments and was trying to end the contract 13 years early.

The dispute became more complicated when the consortium went into administration, leaving the force to negotiate a settlement with the company AlixPartners, which has taken on the management of the building.

It has been reported that if there was an agreement reached, it could cost the force several million pounds by way of compensation.The station was opened in an out-of-town location in Northfleet in 2008 and has the joint largest custody suite in the county.

The force recently announced Kent Police is planning to return to its 80-year-old headquarters in Maidstone after deciding to leave three years ago.

The force had planned to sell off the site to generate funds from its sale.

But with the number of officers now being the highest in the force's history, it has decided to return to its Sutton Road HQ.

The site at Northfleet will instead be used for "other operational policing purposes" as well as partly being leased for commercial income.

AlixPartners has been approached for more information.