A COUNCILLOR wants those who are thinking about causing anti-social behaviour on a Bury St Edmunds estate to be warned there is CCTV in operation.

The East Anglian Daily Times reported in May about a spate of vandalism on the Moreton Hall estate. A pane of glass was cracked in the front door of the Moreton Hall Community Centre, litter was strewn around the car park and lights in front gardens in Raedwald Drive were smashed.

As anti-social behaviour on the estate is an ongoing issue, ward councillor Frank Warby wanted to highlight the fact there is CCTV covering Lawson Place, where the problems often occur.

He said: “We are watching what’s going on. The police are very active. They do swing round with the patrol cars.”

As it is thought to be young people who are behind the problems, Mr Warby said he wanted to take a group of youngsters to the CCTV centre to show them how good the system was and hopefully they would tell their friends.

He said: “It [anti-social behaviour] is an inherent problem on every estate. It’s trying to get on top of it, nip it in the bud and give them something to do.”

A spokeswoman for St Edmundsbury Borough Council said that at Mr Warby’s request they had put up signs in Lawson Place telling people there is CCTV in operation to inform them and act as a deterrent.

Pcso Tim Hartup, of the Bury East/West Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “The team has been working proactively to tackle minor anti-social behaviour on the Moreton Hall estate with high-visibility patrols, early intervention and input at local schools. We respond immediately to reports of anti-social behaviour and the public have been very helpful in submitting key intelligence that can assist us in identifying offenders quickly.”

He said as a result, young people had been dealt with for offences, including a teenage boy for criminal damage to drainpipes near to the Tesco Express store in Lawson Place. He was dealt with by community resolution.