PORTABLE closed circuit television cameras with better picture quality – and costing taxpayers less – could be on used on the streets of Caldicot and Chepstow.

At its meeting this afternoon (Wednesday) Monmouthshire Council's Cabinet is expected to give the go-ahead for replacement of the outdated current system.

A wireless system will make CCTV coverage of the towns more flexible with the ability to add cameras at hotspots, says the council.

There have been complaints from both Chepstow and Caldicot town councils – who have contributed to running costs – about the limitations imposed by the fixed locations of the cameras and the quality of pictures.

Last week Chepstow town council discussed quotes for the operational monitoring of CCTV in the town and the set-up costs.

The current system was installed 10 years ago and is limited to six cameras in each town which are hard-wired with BT cables to a central hub.

A report by the county council's CCTV officer Andrew Mason states: "The towns will no longer be restricted to six lines/cameras per town thereby providing the opportunity to respond to emerging issues in new areas of a town."

The aging system sometimes struggles to get pictures back to the control room in Caerphilly but the image quality of the new cameras is twice as good.

The £85,000 cost of the system is being funded from reserves in an "invest to save" arrangement and would be repaid within four years.

The council estimates the new system will save taxpayers £21,000 a year with savings such as not having to pay line rental to BT.

Cllr Phil Hobson, Monmouthshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Community Development, said: "This proposal represents a major step forward for our communities.

"CCTV has a range of benefits that go beyond crime prevention and detection.

"The better quality of this system, its huge flexibility and cost benefits will benefit the people of Monmouthshire for years to come."