Lye sites earmarked for new CCTV cameras

Seven sites have been selected to give maximum coverage for the state of the art cameras and work will start on installation in the next few weeks, council chiefs have said.

There will be three cameras on the Lye bypass and three in the High Street.

A seventh will also be added to cover the Clinic Drive area.

Councillor Laura Taylor, Dudley Council's cabinet member responsible for community safety, said: "I am delighted we have been able to continue rolling out this vital piece of work despite the national restrictions. "There will be seven cameras in Lye, at locations carefully chosen following detailed analysis of the area and information from police.

"We want to make our town centres are as safe as possible which will be a huge boost to shoppers and traders.

"Over the past few months the old, outdated system has been replaced with new state-of-the-art cameras capable of more detailed images and evidence gathering."

The scheme to replace CCTV cameras is the biggest overhaul of closed-circuit cameras in the council’s history and replaces the old cameras, which suffered repeated breakdowns and costly repairs.

It is being done in partnership with police and should offer clearer images of sites to help with catching and prosecuting offenders.

Work to replace cameras in Halesowen, Dudley, Stourbridge and Brierley Hill is now complete. Other areas have also been added to the programme of work including Sedgley town centre and Castle Gate and Coronation Gardens, in Dudley.

A new high-tech, highly secure control room is also being built as part of the plans and discussions are underway to add traffic cameras to the programme of work.