WINCHESTER councillors are pressing for the city's CCTV system to be extended to counter mindless and serious vandalism.

The call has come as the city council is currently reviewing the city's ageing analogue CCTV system that was set up in 1997.

The council cabinet has received a report which showed that more arrests have recently been made as a result of CCTV than direct action by officers.

At the Cabinet meeting of the authority two councillors pushing for the extension of coverage, recounted horror stories of damage that they say CCTV could counteract.

Councillor Georgina Busher, who represents Bishop's Waltham, said the town had a chronic problem particularly due to a long-standing problem with the quality of CCTV coverage in the village.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo the cameras were branded useless by Inspector Shaun Moore as the images came out blurred and the cameras themselves were unable to rotate.

Councillor Busher said: "We are having a bad time there. The CCTV there has never worked sufficiently to allow it to be used as court evidence.

"There has been a number of most regrettable incidents including broken bottle tops with jagged edges left in the goalmouths. This is really serious vandalism. We have had tremendous amount of trouble with arson.

"CCTV might well have caught some of these people or deterred some of the most outrageous ones," she said. Cllr Geoff Bennetts, whose ward covers Fulflood, said there was a problem on Lower Stockbridge Road with cars targeted for damage.

Mr Bennetts said: "People are making their way out of town and vandalising cars, keying them and causing damage of hundreds of pounds."

He said others streets where CCTV would help included Water Lane, Wales Street and Garbett Road. The councillors raised the issue at the Cabinet meeting.

Consultants are evaluating the current system's effectiveness and a report is going to the Cabinet in March.

Councillor Frank Pearson, portfolio holder for environment, health and safety, said several options would be considered including scrapping the system; continuing the analogue system; replacing it with digital; and replacing and extending the network. In 1997 the current system was paid for by government grant which would no longer be available.