POLICE have assured people that closed circuit television cameras in Wellington town centre are still active.

There were concerns among some people that the CCTV cameras in the town were not working anymore and were not being used to help police to identify suspects wanted in relation to criminal activity in Wellington.

Members of Wellington Town Council were told at their latest meeting that the six cameras in the area were working 24-7 365 days a year and were monitored during that time from Sedgemoor District Council’s headquarters in Bridgwater.

Partnership support officer Sharon Baker, of Wellington police, told councillors that the film footage recorded was kept on file for 28 days and that it would be shared with officers if needed.

Police had been asked to provide details about CCTV in Wellington following the recent ram-raid incident at the Co-op store in the centre of town.

The Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, said: “We weren’t sure whether the cameras were still working or not.”

Cllr John Thorne questioned if the cameras were being continuously monitored for incidents why would people have to give the CCTV control team a three-hour period to search for a specific matter.

“Surely if the cameras are being watched all the time they would be able to see it straight away,” said Cllr Thorne. “I would like to know how many successful prosecutions there have been because of CCTV footage.”

But Sharon Baker said: “I doubt we will be able to get a definitive answer for that because it would involve a lot of research.

“But the camera operators do provide a valuable service. If an incident is ongoing we can ask them for the cameras to be directed onto that location or we can ask them to look out for a missing person or a vehicle we’re looking for.”