State of the art CCTV helping to identify vandalism culprits

Lancaster City Council’s newly installed CCTV system is helping to find those responsible for a spate of damage to trees in the city centre.

A number of trees along Cheapside and Market Square have recently sustained serious damage which has seen bark stripped from their trunks.

Temporary protection is in the process of being erected around each tree and CCTV footage is being studied to try and catch the culprits.

The CCTV is a state of the art system which was installed earlier this year and funded by the city council and the Lancaster and Morecambe Business Improvement Districts.

Not only does it gather vital evidence in the event of a crime, but helps the council to monitor public areas to assist in managing events and identifying issues relating to litter, vandalism and dog fouling.

Footage is currently being studied to find the person responsible for the damage to the trees and long term the council is looking into the possibility of installing tree guards to prevent further damage.

Coun Brendan Hughes, Cabinet member with responsibility for clean and green, said: “Fortunately reports such as this are rare so they are particularly saddening to see when they do occur.

“Hopefully the damage will not seriously affect the health of the trees but we will monitor them closely for any signs of disease or decay.

“We’re currently combing through the CCTV footage to fin the person responsible for the damage and already have some promising leads – hopefully we will be able to gather the evidence we need to take action against them for this wanton vandalism.”