CRIMEBUSTING cameras in the New Forest are at the centre of a row over how long the system's nerve centre should be left unmanned.

Staff at the closed-circuit television control room operated by New Forest Council monitor the footage and report any incidents to the police.

The underground room is staffed from 7am until 2am the following day, leaving a five-hour gap in which the pictures go unwatched.

Town councillors at Ringwood, which has a nightclub and other late-night attractions, want the facility to be manned until at least 3am.

However, their request failed to impress members of the district council's crime and Disorder Review Panel.

A report to councillors said: "When the scheme was set up, the police felt it was not cost-effective to staff the control room between 2am and 7am.

"If there is a particular incident, staff remain on duty until it has finished.

"Ringwood Town Council wishes to see the room operational until 3am. However, there seem to be no crime and disorder reasons why longer monitoring hours are required.

"An extension of hours would add considerably to the salary cost of operating CCTV and would also involve changes to the existing shift pattern.

"Given the information from the police, there seems little benefit in extending the hours."

At a subsequent meeting of Ringwood's General Purposes Committee, councillors cited the impact of the town's nightclub on late-night activity in the area.

However, councillors were warned that extending the control room's opening hours could increase operating costs by as much as £32,000.

Councillor Michael Thierry suggested a flexible approach, saying manning hours should be extended at weekends but reduced during the week.

Council officers agreed to obtain a breakdown of the incidents that had occurred in the town after midnight and report back.