WATCHET will get a £65,000 CCTV scheme after district councillors agreed to plug a potential funding gap.

Volunteers will also be needed to help monitor the new cameras as their local knowledge could prove invaluable in the fight against crime.

Pete Hughes, West Somerset Council's community safety officer, praised the work done by the volunteers who already monitored Minehead's 16 CCTV cameras and appealed for Watchet people to help monitor their new scheme.

"We will be very keen to enlist help from Watchet people because they know the town and, more often than not, they know those involved in any incidents," Mr Hughes said.

Councillors at last Wednesday's full district council meeting were told a joint bid by the district authority, Watchet Town Council and Avon and Somerset police had secured a £44,000 grant from a community safety budget set up by Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens.

A further £11,000 would come from a dedicated district council-held CCTV funding pot, leaving a shortfall of £10,000.

Councillors were told Watchet Town Council had already agreed to pay £3,000 towards the annual running costs of the cameras.

Members decided to put up the missing £10,000 to ensure the £44,000 crime grant was not lost.

But the decision was not without controversy as a number of councillors questioned the need for a CCTV scheme in Watchet and the cost implications for the district council.

Minehead councillors David Sanders and Paul Grierson claimed the town council should have made a contribution towards the bill for installing the scheme and not just the running costs.

Cllr Keith Ross added: "We can't afford to do many things but we can afford to raid the budget for something like this?"

He claimed Home Office figures proved CCTV made very little different to crime levels and said the council should monitor the impact the cameras were having if it agreed to help fund the scheme.

Cllr Richard Lillis, himself a volunteer CCTV monitor at Minehead police station, disputed the claims and said cameras acted as police officers' eyes on the street and helped to secure convictions.

"I'm astounded to hear it's all about the money. What about our residents?

"Do we not care about their safety?

"I understand there are financial problems but why don't we look at this objectively - this is for the community," Cllr Lillis said.

Watchet member Cllr Dave Westcott said the cameras would give the town's residents "peace of mind".