TOWN councils and Hereford City Council will be called upon to continue helping to fund the county’s CCTV system.

The system costs approximately £160,000 a year to run, with funding currently coming from an existing grant of £84,000 from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and £76,000 from Hereford Cathedral, Hereford City Council and town councils in Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.

However, current funding from both sources is due to end in March 2017.

Herefordshire Council this week approved the submission of a grant application to the PCC to support the ongoing provision of the technology in the county.

And the council says it will investigate the potential for other funding through partners such as Team Hereford, Hereford Business Improvement District (HBID) and social enterprise Herefordshire Vennture from 2017/18.

Herefordshire Council says the CCTV system is “pivotal” to towns in the county - and that residents feel safer knowing the cameras are operating.

In a ‘community impact’ report, the council says: “The Herefordshire CCTV system holds a pivotal role in the communities of Hereford, Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.

“The CCTV operators have direct radio links and act as the control with shops that are on the ‘shop watch’ schemes in the areas covered by CCTV as well as with doormen and bar staff in those areas.

“The Hereford Street Pastors have direct radio links with the CCTV control room when they are out on duty until the early hours.

“The service also holds a key role in the use of the newly introduced crime fighting tool Facewatch.”