Work has started on a major upgrade of CCTV in Lye as part of a £1.7million plan.

Seven new cameras will be installed in the town over the coming weeks.

It is the latest town to be added to a rolling programme of upgrades to the camera system.

Work started this week on upgrades to the traffic camera, preparation for fibre optic cables and behind the scenes technical instalments to pave the way for the new network.

Council bosses visited the site today see the start of the programme which will run into the New Year. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member responsible for the CCTV upgrade, said:

“It’s great to see work is starting on schedule in Lye and will be a welcome boost to shoppers and traders. This is a major investment and is about making sure our town centres, and other key locations are safe and secure.

“To deliver a scheme of this size during a pandemic is an incredible achievement and something that demonstrates our commitment to improving town centres such as Lye.”

There will be three cameras on the bypass and three in the High Street. A seventh will also be added to cover the Clinic Drive area.

Town centres in Halesowen, Dudley, Stourbridge and Brierley Hill are now complete. Other key areas have also been added to the programme of work including Sedgley town centre and Castle Gate and Coronation Gardens, in Dudley.

The scheme is the biggest overhaul of closed-circuit cameras in the council’s history and replaces old and outdated cameras, which suffered repeated breakdowns and costly repairs.

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

A new high tech, highly secure control room is being built as part of the plans.