Sidmouth �8,000 CCTV refund

FOLLOWING a decision to scrap plans to fundraise for town-centre CCTV cameras, Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce has been refunding contributors �8,000 donated to the bid.

Now the Chamber would like to hear from the few remaining people who donated to the CCTV fund since 2006, who didn’t give their addresses at the time.

“If you think you are one of those people, please contact C & C Electrical, who will compare your name against the outstanding list,” said a Chamber spokesman.

It was former Chamber chairman, Chris Taylor, who, together with the Sidmouth Herald, launched the WATCH campaign back then to raise �65,000 for a CCTV system.

Then, in 2008, anticipating a two-year delay in solving the CCTV problem because of a national CCTV strategy being considered by the Home Office and Police, the Chamber of Commerce decided to offer back the cash.

Although it had raised �8,000 in cash and had pledges of another �20,000, the Chamber was dealt another blow by Sidmouth Town Council, which decided it couldn’t take on the maintenance of the cameras. The original call for CCTV in 2006 came from a town centre resident whose mother was hit in the back by a group of boys when she left her car in The Ham car park one evening.

She was backed by neighbourhood beat manager PC Steve Lemon, who said cameras should be sited at The Ham, along the seafront, Manor Road, Market Square and up the town centre main street to the top of High Street. He said cameras would help the police regarding broken shop windows as well as give evidence of shoplifting and help stop or slow down boy racers in Manor Road car park.

The Chamber of Commerce spokesman said its committee wanted to acknowledge the huge amount of work done by Chris Taylor and Mike Parrish, its vice-chairman.

Those who have not yet received a refund should contact Chris at C & C Electrical, Radway, within the next six months. After that, any money left will be donated to a local charity.