Absent Staffordshire police officers cost the taxpayer more than £2 million in 2016 - racking up a bill equivalent to the loss of 40 years.

The cost of sickness absence at Staffordshire Police is disclosed in figures obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request which show the loss of 14,762 days after almost 60 per cent of frontline officers and PCSOs called in sick.

The loss of the equivalent of 40 years meant that 15 per cent more work days were lost compared to 2014, while the sickness bill went up by a quarter over the same period.

Staffordshire Police workers took a total of 14,762 sick days off in 2016

The Police Federation said the figures were 'unsurprising' due to an increase in pressure from rising budget cuts, the Express and Star reports.

Inspector Glyn Pattinson, secretary of the federation's Staffordshire branch, said: "With funding falling, the force is being put in an impossible position and an increase in sickness levels is inevitable."

The report revealed that in 2014 the force's sickness bill for frontline staff and PCSO's was £1.6m, but by 2016 it had risen by 25 per cent.

Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the increase in the number of sick days was a result of officers dealing with bigger workloads.

He said: "I think that the time has come to rethink police budgets. Although sickness rates are still below the national average, Staffordshire Police has really had a difficult couple of years and people are getting tired and worn out.

"I have no doubt that the reason why six in 10 people have had some time off is related to the fact that they are having to do an awful lot more with fewer and fewer people."

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police told the Express and Star: "Policing is a physically demanding and stressful job and therefore absences are often as a result of injuries sustained during duties.

"We are continually looking at ways to improve, including efficient ways of working and reducing absences."

The number of frontline officers at Staffordshire Police dropped to 1,688 between 2014 and 2016, a fall of four per cent. The force also lost around £30m from its budget in real terms since 2010.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced £7.5m for a new National Police Welfare Service to complement support provided by individual forces.