Colindale police station has been told to make improvements to its cells after inspectors raised a number of concerns.

A report from HM Inspectorate of Prisons and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found several issues about the safety and well-being of detainees at the station in Grahame Park Way.

In one case, inspectors found a detainee who tied his shoelaces around his neck was later released with “no issues” on his record, despite the incident.

Earlier on, staff had visited his cell and tried to reason with him, before applying leg restraints, “even though he had been compliant by that time.”

They claimed it had been the only way to stop him banging his head, although CCTV had not shown him doing this or suggested he might do so.

The report states: “The rationale for the use of leg restraints seemed to lack logic and proportionality”.

Some of the 25 cells in Colindale were cold, while out-of-date microwave meals were discovered, and staff were sometimes too busy to offer showers and provide regular meals to detainees.

Although staff were found to be “courteous and polite”, there were often long delays in the booking-in process, leaving some vulnerable people enduring long waits in vans.

The report also states “too many” detainees stayed in detention “longer than necessary” due to delays.

However, Colindale police station was praised for its privacy in custody suites when booking-in.

Inspectors also found health services were generally effective, with good staff training and supervision of clinical skills.

The inspection came before a proposed re-organisation of the way custody suites are run in London.

A command unit in each borough previously held responsibility, but the Metropolitan Police intends to organise the capital into seven clusters – with Barnet, Brent and Harrow forming the North West cluster.

Dru Sharpling, Inspector of Constabulary, and Martin Lomas, Deputy Chief Inspector of Prisons, who carried out the joint inspection, said in a statement: “We expect our findings to be considered and an action plan to be provided in due course.”

In a statement, a police spokesman said: "The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) welcome independent scrutiny of the custody suites and practices and continually seek to learn and improve, especially in relation to the treatment and care of detainees.

"Following initial feedback from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) we have already begun to review our processes and implement change where appropriate."