New Shrewsbury CCTV camera being trialled

A new permanent £20,000 CCTV camera to combat anti-social behaviour in an area of Shrewsbury is being trialled this week ahead of it going "live".

The camera, the first of its kind in the county, is being put in place in Ditherington Road in Ditherington.

The camera, which will provide real-time coverage of a row of shops, a road crossing and an estate, replaces a temporary camera that has proved a success.

It is being hooked up to a control centre in the town through a wireless connection, providing coverage of the area 24 hours a day.

The shops have been targeted by vandals in the past and the camera will be used to help prevent further problems. It will also focus on the traffic lights and the nearby estate to help make people feel safer.

David Roberts, environmental enforcement manager at Shropshire Council, said the £20,000 for the camera had been secured through last year's budget.

He said he hoped it would go "live" either this week or early next week.

Alan Mosley, who represents Ditherington on Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Council, said the permanent camera was "brilliant news".

"It's a result of four years of pressure both from myself and others and particularly following demand by residents," he said.

"The temporary one had a big impact."

Meanwhile, a CCTV camera which had to be taken down from the site of the Shrewsbury explosion because of work at the scene is to be put back in place.

The camera at Bridge Street in the town centre was on the building where the explosion happened in January but was undamaged by the blast. It is hoped it will be in place in the near future although no date has yet been set.