THE USE of CCTV cameras is being considered to stop incidents of anti-social behaviour at the Dog Hill Wood beauty spot, including stones being thrown at a quiet Ledbury street.

Recently, stones have been thrown from the wood, which looms above the street, onto roofs and into the gardens below.

Cllr Martin Eager, chairman of the town's environment and leisure committee said: "No one has been hurt but I think there is a possibility of someone being hurt. Some of those stones are quite large - as large as a tennis ball."

Now the town council hopes to gather evidence to present to the police.

"Hopefully we'll get a prosecution", said Cllr Eager.

The matter was discussed at last week's full meeting of the Ledbury Town Council, but opinion is divided among councillors as to who should install the cameras: members of the public, who have offered to do so, or the council itself.

The main concerns about anti-social behaviour in Dog Hill Wood have been expressed by residents of Hillfield Drive, which abuts the wood, and town councillors have already met up with residents in response to those concerns.

Cllr Eager said: "They want the stone throwing to stop."

He said the incidents to reported anti-social did not point to "a huge problem", but he added: "It's down to a small amount of people who want to make life miserable."

The wood is owned by Ledbury Town Council, but at least one resident has offered to install cameras to help catch the stone-throwing culprits.

But town councillors have also discussed installing CCTV cameras there, and here opinion appears to divide among councillors.

Cllr Liz Harvey said the idea of members of the public installing CCTV there could set "a dangerous precedent".

She added: "I worry about the precedent, if we have a private CCTV system up there, looking at a public area and sanctioned by the council."

Cllr Tony Bradford said: "As I understand it, we are investigating all this; but we did discuss CCTV under the control of the council, not residents. This is a new thing."

Cllr Eager said he personally had "no problem with CCTV on private property", such as someone's garden, with the cameras looking towards the council-owned wood.

He said: "They don't need our permission; but they want permission from the council to have cameras pointing at our land.

"This is no different to people throughout the country who have CCTV on their drives."

The matter will be discussed further by a town council task and finish group.

Cllr Martin Eager declined to name the residents involved n the discussions.