THE eagle-eyed in Ludlow may have noticed a cherry picker making its way round the town centre in recent weeks.

It has been involved in the installation of the uprated CCTV system for the town.

Work on the project has now been completed ahead of winter.

It has been a real town team effort.

The project has been part funded by the Police Crime Commissioners Office and Ludlow Town Council with donations from Ludlow Civic Society, Ludlow Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Ludlow Residents Association, and local businesses Black Bough, G D Ginger Antiques, Bodenhams, and Rickards.’

The initial scoping work was undertaken by a town council working group headed by Cllr Diane Lyle.

Once the council approved the project, staff made a planning and listed building consent application, and ongoing discussions with local police and building owners helped to progress the project. In September, the contractor secured the necessary roadside working permits, and installed the final camera in the first week of October.

The CCTV images from the new system will be relayed to Ludlow police station, and the up to date cameras with 360 degree vision will be an asset to the town.

“I am extremely pleased that the new CCTV is now up and running,” said Inspector Nicola Roberts from the Safer Neighbourhoods Team.

“The cameras not only assist local officers with the detection of crime, they also reassure our community and assist in the prevention of crime.

“From a shop theft, to a missing person, to a road traffic collision, the system will be a really useful tool for local officers to access directly.”

At one stage it had looked as if the scheme might be delayed because a tree near Station Drive Surgery was blocking the view of one of the cameras.