Twenty hi-tech cameras have been installed at locations in the town centre, Mansfield Woodhouse and Warsop –– and have already proved a success in preventing fights, dispersing loitering youths, tackling litterbugs and stopping people urinating in the street.

And delighted council chiefs say there has been a good response to the new cameras, with most folk willing to comply with what operators are saying to them.

Said Mansfield District Council's portfolio holder for public protection Coun Danny McCrossan: "The continuous improvement of the already very successful CCTV system we have in Mansfield will go a long way in helping with the fight against crime.

"The speakers and the digital technology that we now have are being used to their full potential so hopefully we will now see a further reduction in crime in the Mansfield district."

Mansfield's CCTV system has also changed from using video tapes to a digital recording system, to bring it up to date and allowing immediate playback and rapid search facilities.

The previous system used 64 video tapes a day and council chiefs said it took a long time for police officers to search through.