CCTV cameras in Trowbridge town centre have not been recording for months, after they were hit by a power surge.

All 29 CCTV cameras in the town centre, which are owned and maintained by Trowbridge Town Council, have been affected.

Monitoring is still take place, with crimes and incidents spotted reported to police, according to town clerk Lance Allan.

He hopes the cameras will be fixed by next week so that recording can begin again.

He said: “There was a power surge back in November and as a result of that, the equipment which records needs repairing.

“The recording equipment needs to be replaced and what we are agreeing is pending with a claim to the insurance company. The town council is looking to the replace the camera equipment with a budget of up to £10,000.

“We are getting on with replacing the cameras and hopefully it will be completed by next week.”

The system was updated three years ago to comply with new requirements for providing evidence that is fit to present in court.

The town council contracts The Workman Group, the management agents for The Shires shopping centre, to carry out the monitoring of the CCTV system from its control room.

A review suite is also located within the town council offices, which allows Wiltshire Police the opportunity to sit and review footage – something which has had to be put on hold since November.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said they were aware of the situation regarding the CCTV cameras, but they would not confirm whether the lack of evidence had affected any pending cases.

They added: “CCTV footage can provide important evidence in solving crimes and is a huge asset to the police and the work we do. However, it is just one tool and there are lots of other ways officers investigate crimes, including identifying and speaking to witnesses, forensic evidence and using community intelligence.”

Mr Allan stressed that despite no recordings taking place, surveillance of the town centre is still ongoing.

He added: “We don’t get any money from Wiltshire Council towards the CCTV and I know in Salisbury they are in discussions about transferring the cameras from Wiltshire Council to Salisbury City Council, as they get funding. No one has received any funding from Wiltshire Police either although it is the police that mainly use the images.”