Welshpool council plan for newspaper offenders' gallery

Welshpool Town Council operates 15 CCTV cameras

People committing anti-social behaviour could find their photos in the news in a planned crackdown in Powys.

Welshpool Town Council plans to publish images of regular offenders captured on CCTV in a monthly newspaper gallery.

Town clerk Robert Robinson said he expected councillors to make a decision about whether to introduce the scheme next month.

Drunks and people who allow dog fouling are among those who could be targeted.

Mr Robinson said anti-social behaviour was a "top concern" among local people.

A working group was looking at using offenders' pictures in local newspapers and the scheme was out to consultation, he added.

"We're asking people what they think and 100% have been in favour so far. We've had 50 responses at present," Mr Robinson said.

'Lovely little town'

"Dog fouling, (drunken) people vomiting and other alcohol-related offences are the sort of things that we'd look at.

"We wouldn't go as far as cigarette ends being thrown on the street."

The council operates 15 cameras in Welshpool, with the latest erected last week.

"We are trying to make it clear to people that we have a lovely little town and we want to keep it that way," he explained.

Councillors appeared to be in favour of publishing offenders' photos in papers, said Mr Robinson. Some of them, and staff, have been trained in how to use the CCTV system.

"Dog fouling is a problem on the recreation fields, public spaces and the canal side, but with only one dog warden in Welshpool these people rarely get caught," said Mr Robinson.