A TOWN has been given its first CCTV cameras to cut street crime.

The cameras will be officially unveiled in a matter of weeks near the community centre and shop in Dunkirk Lane, Leyland.

The area had been highlighted in a police crime prevention survey, following complaints about youngsters intimidating shoppers.

Local storekeepers and landlords teamed up to pay for them.

County Councillor Anne Brown, South Ribble representative, said: "We had been planning them for some time. There is a small group who have been working on it -- the Borough Council, who run the community centre, the landlords, and the shop owners.

"They have been brought together by our Community Sergeant, who did a crime prevention survey of the area."

The cameras are part of a crime-busting makeover of the area, hoping to cut down on the groups of youngsters who meet near the shops. Coun Brown said: "We have had bike racks put in, and there was a sculpture which has been removed.

"That used to create a place where people stood and intimidated people using the community centre.

"We are also hoping to put play equipment on the village green, and we're planning a youth shelter to take away some of the young people who kick a ball against the community centre in the evenings."