Crimebusting security cameras are to be set up in Wem in a bid to beat the vandals.

Councillors hope the four new CCTV cameras will catch more criminals and reduce levels of anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

They are particularly aimed at vandalism to shopfronts and public toilets.

The cameras, which cost more than £20,000 in total, will be installed along the town’s High Street.

Nancy Wilson, a member of Wem Town Council, said she hoped the scheme would make Wem a better place.

She said: “This has been in the pipeline for some time now, so we are really looking forward to it.

“We hope it will make Wem a better place. Although we already have a low crime rate, this will just safeguard certain areas of Wem. We hope it will be a good thing, and will hopefully stop the damage to the car park and the toilets, because we will be able to catch them.”

Peggy Carson, fellow town councillor, agreed the cameras would target vandalism, and said they would be sited in crime hotspots.

“They will be put in places where we think they are needed,” she said.

“We don’t get an awful lot of vandalism, but what we do get seems to involve attacking the shops, so that’s what we are trying to cut down on. There’s just the odd minority who seem to be set on doing these things. There also seems to be a lot of vandalism done to the toilets, so that will be the first priority.”

The town council has now applied to North Shropshire District Council for planning permission for the cameras to be put up. A decision is expected by the end of October.