PENSIONERS campaigning for a CCTV camera on their street have had their request turned down.

Residents on Larch Way, Saltney had asked the town council to install a camera in a bit to put a halt to a wave of vandalism which has been making their lives a misery.

But Saltney town council has vowed to fence off an entrance on Park Avenue playing fields to make it harder for troublemakers to access the area and said they would revisit the matter if an alternative bid by Saltney Stonebridge Residents and Tenants Association to secure funding for a camera failed.

Pensioner Len Ferguson presented a petition with more than 40 signatures to the council and said he was “disappointed” funding was not secured.

He said: “If the fence works we will welcome it. And we are pleased that they are going to try and get funding. We will have to wait and see.

“We want something done so the police can see what is going on. We need a camera. For the last three months or more I have had my car vandalised twice.

“It’s a disgrace. We have had bottles and cans chucked all over the place and there has been fighting and intimidating behaviour.”

With alternative funding being sought for a camera the town council decided to revisit the proposal, which was put forward by Cllr Klaus Armstrong-Braun, if it failed.

Saltney town mayor Veronica Gay is asking for community volunteers to operate a system to keep an entrance on the new fence locked overnight.

She said: “I think the fence will be a tremendous help. Our residents are paramount so we gave the go-ahead for the fence. We are asking for volunteers to give their time so we can keep the gate locked from dusk until dawn.

“If the funding for the camera is unsuccessful the town council will look at it again.
PC Ian Millington, community beat manager for Saltney, said he welcomed the prospect of a fence.

He said: “I do not want residents to feel as if they are living in a crime zone. There are dedicated patrols at weekends in Larch Way and it is getting a lot of attention.