Phase two of a £1.7 million CCTV overhaul is underway with key public places added to the programme.

Six cameras will be replaced at Castle Gate in Dudley. It adds to the hundreds of new cameras already installed and now live in town centres across the borough.

Phase two of the programme will look at more cameras at other important sites such as town centres in Lye, Sedgley and Brierley Hill. Coronation Gardens in Dudley has also been earmarked for cameras later this year.

The scheme is the biggest overhaul of closed-circuit cameras in the council’s history and replaces old and outdated cameras, which suffered repeated breakdowns and costly repairs. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member responsible for community safety, said:

"The first part of the project has been extremely successful with new cameras added to our town centres which are now live and fully operational. The next phase is about extending that success to other key parts of the borough.

"One of the key aims of this authority is to make our borough safer and the CCTV programme is very much delivering on that."

The CCTV programme is being done in partnership with police and gives much clearer images of sites which can help in catching and prosecuting offenders.

A significant investment has also been made in a new high tech, highly secure control room is also being developed as part of the project and discussions are underway to add traffic cameras to the overhaul.