The decision not to provide CCTV for Keswick town centre is set to be reviewed by the town council.

The council voted in February note to fund the surveillance equipment amid concerns the project would cost £47,000.

At the time, Councillor Paul Titley said: "Frankly, there’s more crime in Noddy annuals than there is in Keswick. I think it’s a complete waste of money."

But Councillor Andrew Lysser this month raised concerns that the lack of CCTV could be hampering crime fighting in the town.

Coun Lysser said: "I'm not about Big Brother watching over you. I'm very much about watching over your back yard.

"I think we should at least see if we can get our Main Street area covered if nothing else. There needs to be a visual deterrent."

His calls came after a trio of town centre shoplifting incidents were reported to have happened on a single day last month.

PCSO Catherine Smith told councillors CCTV footage was a great help in court cases and she believed an unmonitered system that would record footage and save it for two weeks would cost significantly less than the £47,000 previously discussed.

That quote, secured by Joe Broomfield, Allerdale council's town centre manager, included live monitoring.

PCSO Smith said: "I think a smaller CCTV system could be set up in Main Street for significantly less money."

Councillors will discuss the matter at their next meeting.

Cumbria police does not have any CCTV cameras in Keswick but has previously said it is willing to monitor those funded by other organisations. Cameras do not need to be monitored to be of use as evidence.