MP 'delighted' CCTV will be added to town bridge

An MP said she was "delighted" that a local authority has agreed to install a CCTV camera at a location where a number of serious incidents have taken place.

Lucy Rigby, the Labour MP for Northampton North, said West Northamptonshire Council had informed her a camera would be added to the Wathen Wigg Bridge in Northampton "in the next few months".

A man was found fatally injured on a bench near the bridge last year, while last month a teenager was raped on the towpath.

Rigby said: "I know how long anti-social behaviour has impacted this area."

She said: "This new camera will play a vital part in catching and preventing crime and making the area safer."

The Reform UK-controlled council said a camera was previously positioned on the bridge but was "switched off" by the defunct Northampton Borough Council in 2013 due to "a lack of reported anti-social behaviour or crime in the area to justify its continued use."

It said funding for the camera was "currently being identified" and added that a "widespread CCTV network across Northampton town centre remains fully operational".

Councillor Charlie Hastie, the cabinet member for housing and communities, said: "Recent incidents alongside a wider strategic CCTV review have provided clear justification for reinstating surveillance here.

"Working with our Community Safety Partnership, we are pleased to be moving forward with plans to reinstall a camera in this area, which will play an important role in helping to deter crime, tackle anti-social behaviour, and provide reassurance to local residents."

The local authority said its residents were encouraged to continue to report any anti-social behaviour or concerns via its website.

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