CAMERAS to catch troublemakers in Bishop's Waltham are to be installed for the first time in the village.

The introduction of three CCTV cameras around the Meon Valley village has come in the wake of serial nuisance Victoria Tunnicliffe being banned from the town centre at night after committing a string of offences spanning almost ten years.

The 26-year-old, pictured, was made subject to the village's first Anti Social Behaviour Order based on her lengthy record of offending that includes arson, criminal damage, making hoax 999 calls and common assault.

Two teenagers from Bishop's Waltham were also due in court this morning to face charges of criminal damage after numerous cars had wing mirrors and aerials pulled off during a night in April.

It is hoped the introduction of the cameras will help police clamp down on vandalism and other anti-social behaviour in Bishop's Waltham.

The £60,000 scheme is to be installed in the autumn after years of campaigning by local councillors and is fully backed the police.

Chairman of the parish council Eric Birbeck said: "This has been proposed for Bishop's Waltham for the past two or three years so we are delighted that at last it is our turn to get CCTV.

"It will also be reassuring for residents to know that the streets are being monitored around the clock."

His views were echoed by Winchester city councillor Georgina Busher.

She said: "There is no way you could describe Bishop's Waltham as a crime hot spot but we do get our fair share of vandals and damage to property. Hopefully having these cameras in place will deter people from doing this sort of thing.

"We did have an armed robbery at the Halifax about 18-months ago and the situation with Victoria Tunnicliffe, so you never know if having CCTV cameras in place would have helped in those cases."

Plans have already been made to may way for the cameras that will be linked up and monitored by Hampshire police officers at Netley.

A wall surrounding the car park on Basingwell Street is set to be reduced in height so the cameras will have a clear view of the area.

The cameras will be placed at three locations in the village centre including the High Street, Basingwell Street car park and one covering the village centre.

Bishop's Waltham beat officer PC Martin Gibson said: "The fear of crime is much more prevalent than the levels of crime in the area.

"The cameras would certainly put villagers' minds at rest to a degree so anything that alleviates that has got to be a good thing."