CRIME-BUSTING lampposts could be installed in Southampton’s troubled city centre parks this year, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Hi-tech cameras would be attached to new smart lampposts in the worst crime hotspots and beam footage to surveillance centres.

The number of streetlights will also double in areas such as Palmerston Park, the site of several serious sex attacks including two separate rapes of women.

While other parks not already lit up at night will have hundreds of new “white light” lampposts installed.

The new energy efficient lampposts will shine white light in streets and be directed down on to footpaths and roads, resulting in less light pollution in the night sky.

The city council wants to install CCTV in parks as part of a multi-million pound upgrade of the city’s entire streetlight network beginning late this year.

Councillor Matt Dean, Cabinet member for environment and transport, said the spy cameras would only be needed in the city’s most dangerous areas.

“We are actively looking at the possibility of having columns that can take CCTV. We are envisaging this in high crime areas or even where we can move cameras from one area to another,” he said.

“It would appear that the technology is affordable and it would certainly add to our main objective, which is to improve public safety.

“We have not identified exactly what area will need CTTV as we are still talking with police and our community safety team.”

The safety measures are part of a £225m Government-funded scheme to replace 165,000 old lampposts in Southampton, Hampshire and West Sussex.

Funding for the new lampposts has been secured under a private finance initiative (PFI) agreement, where private companies will design, build, finance and operate the lighting on behalf of the three councils.

In Southampton, 23,000 lampposts will be replaced with black-painted steel columns by the autumn of 2014. The council is still in discussion with suppliers about the type of energy-saving bulbs that will be used.

Cllr Dean said the council had ruled out switching off park lights to deter people from walking through the parks at night.

Romsey was at the centre of controversy in February when the Hampshire market town was used for a black-out pilot scheme.

Cllr Dean also played down the council’s early ambitions to use the new streetlights to create widespread wireless coverage – known as WiFi zones – across the city.