CAMERAS in the sky which have cracked down on crime in Eastleigh town centre are about to zoom in on yob behaviour in the borough's southern parishes.

The commercial heart of Hedge End has been plagued with anti-social behaviour.

Last year there were 120 reported incidents and the bulk of these were young rowdies hanging around the centre involved in intimidation, harassment and shoplifting.

Town council chiefs and traders, who have been calling for action to outlaw the troublemakers, fear that the daily aggro could threaten the economic viability of the centre.

Now a four-camera scheme, combined with a Help Point,will provide 24-hour coverage of the shopping centre including the library and parts of Greta Park.

The £82,000 scheme, which will cost £7,500 a year to run, will be linked to the new control room in Eastleigh Town Centre.

Provided all the cash is available, the cameras and help point will be installed with fibre optic links to the Eastleigh control room in Autumn 2003.

Insp Paul Newstead of Hedge End police has welcomed the CCTV move.

He said: "This is very good news for Hedge End and something to celebrate.

"Well-sited CCTV of this quality is proven to be an effective crime reduction measure.

"With 24-hour monitoring at the Eastleigh control room and direct links to our police control it is like putting an extra police officer on permanent patrol in Hedge End."

The proposals have been greeted with enthusiastic support from local traders - many of whom have offered voluntary contributions towards the installation costs.

The Community Safety Partnership has provisionally allocated £20,000 subject to Whitehall approval.

Now an appeal will be made at the July meeting of the borough's executive committee to clinch funding for the project.

Local borough councillor Louise Bloom, a member of the council executive, said: "I have been very concerned at the reported increase in anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

"Consultations with police, traders and local residents have shown unanimous support for CCTV in Hedge End.

"I am confident that this system can provide great assurance to both traders and local shoppers. I am convinced that the system represents good value for money and will seek the backing of the council executive to secure the extra finance."