ESSEX Police spent £1.6million on hire cars in the last five years, it has been revealed.

The figures, obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom of Information Act, show the cash was spent on a variety of rental cars since 2004.

A spokeswoman for Essex Police defended the spending.

She said: “Staff sometimes use hire cars when they have to go on long journeys out of the county, for example, to courts or on other official duty, because it works out cheaper than taking your own car and claiming back the mileage."

She added: “Officers also sometimes use hire cars when they need an unmarked vehicle for undercover operations.

“Considering there are now around 5,000 people working for Essex Police, you could argue this is a relatively small cost spread over five years.”

Commenting on national figures which show that forces across the UK spent a total of £132m since 2004, Lib Dem shadow home secretary Chris Huhne said: “Hiring cars at appropriate times can save forces money but if they are being hired while police cars are not in use, it is simply a waste of taxpayers’ money."

The country's biggest force, the Metropolitan Police, spent nearly £50million on hire cars since 2004.