LYDNEY police have asked the local town council

for surveillance cameras to curb crime in Bathurst Park.

Police Constable Phil Hopkins asked Lydney Town Council whether CCTV could be used to monitor criminal activity following the successful deployment of mobile cameras in Newent.

He asked: “Is there any funding available for CCTV to be put into the Bathurst Park area?”

Jayne Smailes, town council clerk, said: “With Bathurst Park you should have already been told that it’s been discussed by the trust.

“There’s no line of sight. There’s no way we can get one of our cameras in there.”

Ms Smailes explained: “We actually had our contractors, Red Hand, come out and have a look.

“The trustees have already considered it and discounted

it.”

PC Hopkins replied: “The reason I’m suggesting it is because we’ve had dozens of similar incidents in Newent, but over the past eight weeks there has only been one incident since they installed the mobile CCTV cameras in the park

area there.”

Lydney Town Council was initially part of a joint bid for a mobile CCTV service in the district along with Cinderford, Coleford, Newent and

Tidenham.

The mobile surveillance cameras were awarded to the councils free of charge in a scheme funded partly by the Police and Crime Commissioners Fund with the aim to target

crime in obscure areas.

However, Lydney Town Council pulled out of the scheme and stated at the time that members felt that the mobile CCTV would only be of use

to watch Newerne Street car park, a Forest of Dean District Council asset.

A district council spokesperson said: “The council was fundamental in securing the funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for the purchase of five mobile CCTV cameras.

“Should Lydney Town Council wish to use mobile CCTV to target anti-social behaviour in the future, they can make arrangements to hire one of the units from the other town councils.”