THE first cameras promised for Lye have been installed today (Tuesday) as part of a £1.7million overhaul of the borough's CCTV network.

Seven new cameras are being installed in and around the High Street to help crack down on crime in the area.

Councillor Laura Taylor, Dudley Council’s community safety chief, took a tour of the town centre today to see progress on the work which is the biggest overhaul of closed-circuit cameras in the council’s history.

Cllr Taylor, the council's cabinet member responsible for CCTV, said: "There has been a lot of work going on in the background at Lye to pave the way for these new cameras. I am delighted to see the cameras going in, and once they are live, they will make a huge difference to everyone living, working or visiting Lye.

"The cameras will help the outstanding work being done in the area by the council and volunteers, and I am pleased that we have been able to invest in this much needed resource."

Lye community campaigner and businessman Gary Farmer carried out another of his regular litter picks in the town earlier today and he said afterwards that he hoped with the installation of the new cameras it would put a stop Lye's problems with flytipping from here on.

Council bosses say the new cameras will offer enhanced imagery and the ability to see detail from hundreds of metres away.

They should help to deliver much clearer images of sites and help police in catching and prosecuting offenders.

New cameras have already been installed in Halesowen, Dudley, Stourbridge and Brierley Hill town centres - with Sedgley town centre and Castle Gate and Coronation Gardens, in Dudley, also added the programme of work.

A new high-tech, secure control room went live last month which is capable of monitoring more than 100 cameras at once.