VANDALS and troublemakers face being driven out of Darwen town centre by high tech 'eyes and ears' which will soon monitor their every move.

Councillors and town hall officials gathered to mark the start of work on a £95,000 closed circuit television scheme by cutting the first piece of turf at The Green.

Plans have also been announced to expand the town centre radio link scheme where police, traders and club operators can pass on information about potential problems.

The CCTV project is going ahead despite the failure of three bids for Government backing and is expected to be up and running before Christmas. The four cameras will be in Church Street and Market Street, with two close to the Circus.

They will be linked to Blackburn and Darwen police stations and the system at Blackburn Shopping Centre.

The action comes following complaints about public order problems, vandalism and violent crime in the town centre which has been deterring evening visitors.

Darwen councillor Sue Reid described the two monitoring systems as the eyes and ears of the town.

She added: "I am delighted Darwen is to have a CCTV system at last. It is important that people visiting the town at night enjoy their evening out without worrying about vandals and other nuisance makers.

"It will also make anyone think twice about causing trouble if they risk being caught on film."

The work, funded by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, is being carried out locally.

The cameras have been supplied by Romers in Branch Road while the columns which support them are provided by Welding Engineers of Spring Vale.

The council's direct services department is responsible for the ducting and the cabling is being installed by BT.

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