POLICE chiefs spent a princely sum to clean the windows of a police station in anticipation of a royal visit, it was claimed.

The force spent more than £8,000 to smarten up the station at John Street in Brighton.

A police source told The Argus that the top brass had called in contractors because they hoped to be visited by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they visited Brighton.

So they splashed out to make sure the windows at John Street looked pristine.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did visit the city – but did not call at the police station.

It is claimed that contractors only did “minimal” work, but the force says the £8,000 price tag was competitive and had gone through all the correct procedures.

The source told The Argus: “This was when Prince Harry and Meghan were visiting Sussex and landing in Brighton.

“They wanted the windows cleaned at short notice and paid £8,000 to do so.

“Nobody ever saw these cleaners in attendance so it was minimal work.

“It should also be noted that these windows were freshly installed only a couple of months earlier.

“The £8,000 for a royal window clean, when they state they have no money to attend our most vulnerable, is a disgrace.”

The source claimed only six hours of work had been done.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are set to end their royal duties on March 31, visited the county in October 2018.

It was shortly after they had married.

They visited sites in Chichester including the university and Edes House, then met crowds outside the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

They ended by visiting the Joff youth centre in Peacehaven.

The force did not comment on whether the £8,000 was spent for the purpose of the Duke and Duchess’s visit.

A Freedom of Information Act request made showed cleaning work was done between June and October 2018.

The force says there are more than 1,000 windows at the John Street police station.

In a statement the force said: “Services such as window cleaning are contracted on competitive tender and the amount paid for the service provided at John Street police station represents very good value for money.

“It is a large building with around a thousand separate windows and requires specialist equipment to undertake this service safely.

“Being close to the sea and in an elevated position means that salt water and other storm detritus can impact more on some sides that others, hence the irregular cleaning pattern.

“We like to look out on the wonderful city we police and we also recognise our responsibility to contribute towards keeping Brighton and Hove looking smart.”