Tyne and Wear Metro installs £4.2m CCTV system

The new cameras are part of a wider £370m modernisation programme

A £4.2m CCTV system has been installed on the Tyne and Wear Metro system.

A total of 740 cameras have been put up in all 60 stations in the biggest upgrade on the system for 20 years.

Metro operator Nexus said the improved picture quality and "crystal clear" footage would make it easier to identify troublemakers.

Finance and resources director John Fenwick said they were "some of the most advanced, high-resolution cameras that are currently available".

"Good quality CCTV is vital to reassure our customers, who are gradually starting to return in greater numbers now that lockdown is lifting," he said.

They were also vital to deterring crime and leading to successful prosecutions, he added.

Of the new cameras, 105 will be capable of panning, tilting and zooming in on suspects, Nexus said.