A PROPOSAL to upgrade the CCTV system on Ledbury's Recreation Ground has been put on hold, - because the town's youth are generally so well-behaved these days.

The town council has been looking into upgrading CCTV on the site, such as links to the town council offices or the central control control in Hereford.

This is because Cllr Chris Ridler, during Community Day on June 7, noted a comment from one member of the the public, concerning anti-social behaviour on the Rec.

But many town councillors don't see the need to boost security down there at the moment.

Speaking at last week's environment and leisure committee, chairman Cllr Martin Eager said: "The issue is, I don't think we have a lot of anti-social behaviour on the Rec. The number of times in a year we get the police out to look at CCTC footage from there I can count on one hand.

"We have some well-behaved kids down there. We do have the usual rubbish problems in the morning - pop bottles and crisp packets, but you are going to get that."

Cllr Annette Crowe said: "A few years ago there were a lot of problems at the Rec, but I don't think we had any complaints last summer, and I've had none this summer."

The decision to merely note the report on possible CCTV upgrades will save the town council, and the taxpayer, a considerable sum.

At present, the four CCTV cameras on the Rec are in a fixed position, cannot be moved by remote control and are not monitored live.

The recordings take place in a secret location, which must be visited if the recordings are to be inspected by the town council or the police, following any incident.

To link the present cameras to the town council offices, for better monitoring, would cost £6,356, according to the report.

To make them remotely controlled cameras would cost a further £12,000 for all four cameras, or £3,000 per camera.

But the cost would come down to £6,000 if the number of cameras on the REC were to be reduced to two, which the report suggests.

The cost of linking to Hereford Central Control is not stated, because of the need to establish the financial agreements between the town council and Herefordshire Council.

But establishing the link would mean losing the camera in Church Lane, by the town council offices, because that line would be needed for the "new feed".

Several town councillors felt that losing the Church Lane camera, in the town centre, was not a good idea.