A Dorchester councillor is urging West Dorset colleagues to back plans to bring CCTV to the county town.

Up to 12 closed circuit television cameras are on the cards for Dorchester thanks to a partnership between Dorset County Council, Dorchester Town Council, West Dorset District Council and the West Dorset Crime and Disorder Reduction Part-nership.

But the project cannot go ahead unless West Dorset District Council gives its backing to the scheme. Now Coun Alan Beard, who has campaigned vigorously for the introduction of the cameras, is urging the district council to support the scheme.

He said: "The district council is the only partner not as yet committed to the scheme and the provision of CCTV for Dorchester depends on all partners agreeing to fund their share."

He said the cost to the district council of providing CCTV for Dorchester would be in the region of £80,000 for the cameras plus around £18,000 a year to run them.

The four cameras funded by the district council would be installed in Dorchester's car parks.

Coun Beard, who as well as being a town and district councillor, is vice-chairman of Dorchester and District Crime Prevention Panel. He understood that a report on CCTV would be coming before the district council's environment overview and scrutiny committee later this month.

He said he had met with district council leader Robert Gould and director of planning and environment at the council David Evans to discuss the issue.

The proposed CCTV scheme consists of four dual-use cameras to monitor traffic and the area generally at Maumbury Cross, Top o' Town, the junction of High West Street and Trinity Street, and the junction of High East Street and Church Street.

Cameras would also monitor the car parks at Top o' Town, Trinity Street, Wollaston Fields and the junction of Acland Road and Linden Avenue.

Cameras are also proposed for South Street, near Tudor Arcade, at either end of New Street, and in the middle of Trinity Street.