BLACKBURN and Darwen town centres will be watched around the clock for the first time from today when an upgraded, £250,000 CCTV system is launched.
The number of cameras has nearly doubled, while a state-of-the-art monitoring suite has been set up at Blackburn's police station in Greenbank. It will be staffed around the clock allowing all of the borough's CCTV cameras to be constantly monitored.
Staff have been drafted in from a private firm by Blackburn with Darwen's Community Safety Partnership.
Much of the cash has been spent upgrading picture quality, with the new system meaning cameras in Darwen Street will work at night. Until recently, the bright haze from the neon signs on takeaways in the street meant the images captured were virtually to useless.
Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration, said: "The images will be much sharper and much more effective."
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