CAlls for wider CCTV coverage in Monmouth have not fallen on deaf ears.

After vandalism in Drybridge Street saw eight tyres slashed, the suggestion that more money should be allocated for CCTV was mooted.

Now a firm proposal was tabled at Monday night’s community affairs committee and a suggestion that a £10k boost to the town’s CCTV bill of £13,383 was proposed, but not universally popular with the ten councillors at the meeting.

£7k would buy a camera and the rest would be available for maintenance and moving the camera to town hot-spots where the current cameras are not deployed.

Cllr Mat Feakins proposed the budget should rise to £23,383 and CCTV lead councillor Rob Caffel said that current budget of £13,383 was for the maintenance and moving around of the current seven cameras deployed

He also corrected erroneous information on the CCTV cameras given to the town council by Cllr John Fletcher and assured councillors that all the cameras have always worked. "To the best of my knowledge, all the cameras have been fully functional throughout the month", he added.

The £10k addition did not sit well with Cllr Rachel Jupp who said the extra £7k proposed for the climate emergency funds was turned down because it did "not have a specific budget".

Cllr Feakins was quick to reply that this was a costed proposal, with £7k for a new camera and £2k for maintenance, with a little extra for wriggle-room.

Not persuaded, she was one of the four councillors who voted against it, but it was the six votes that carried the motion which will now go on to another committee for approval to town council.