A MAJOR row has broken out after mayors were told the Forest's CCTV cameras would be turned off at the end of August.

The mayors for Cinderford, Lydney, Coleford and Newent believed they had won a year's reprieve while the long-term funding was hammered out.

But now the district council has told the four towns that unless they find £15,000 each by the end of July the cameras will be turned off at the end of the summer.

The mayors say district council officials told them that they were being turned off earlier than expected because £8,000 from the £20,000 annual maintenance budget is needed for decommissioning costs.

Mayors were called into the district council offices and told there was only enough money to keeping the cameras rolling until August 31.

Coleford mayor Sue Merrikin was 'absolutely dismayed' to learn about the deadline. She said the mayors were expecting a full consultation and believed they had until their budget meetings early next year to make a final decision.

"How can we find that amount of money to fund the cameras halfway through the financial year?" she said.

She said the four mayors were due to meet with police chiefs next week.

"I think we need to take into account that we had a very serious sexual assault in Coleford in the last five or six weeks and the police say the cameras were a real help," she added.

"If it really is that important maybe they need to put their hands in their back pockets as well.

"I feel further discussions do need to take place because it cannot fall on the four towns."

Town clerk Annie Lapington warned councillors not to be rushed into taking over the running costs by the looming deadline.

As well as struggling to find the money next year, it might leave them liable for the pension costs and redundancy payments of serving police officers who monitor the cameras.

Councillor Roger Drury said: "It's just another example of them trying to pass the buck for cutting services.

"We cannot provide services we have not historically funded. The police are a bigger organisation than us and this is a district wide service."

Cinderford mayor Max Coborn, who believed he had won a year-long reprieve, was stunned by the deadline and the £15,000 bill.

"Because there are so few police officers the cameras are our last line of defence," he said.