LACK of funding will prevent a resort getting a major CCTV scheme, council bosses said today.Suffolk Coastal district council has said that it cannot afford CCTV in the seaside town even though a petition with almost 1,000 signatures from concerned traders, residents and visitors in favour of the security measure was handed to them.

LACK of funding will prevent a resort getting a major CCTV scheme, council bosses said today.

Suffolk Coastal district council has said that it cannot afford CCTV in the seaside town even though a petition with almost 1,000 signatures from concerned traders, residents and visitors in favour of the security measure was handed to them.

However, the town council could throw out a lifeline to businesses like Unwins wine merchants in Hamilton Road if a pilot scheme using small scale CCTV to cut vandalism is given the go-ahead.

Mary Goldsmith, manager of the Unwins off-licence, who said that the 10ft by 12ft window had cost £800 to replace in July this year, was disappointed with the latest developments in getting CCTV for the town.

"They have never got enough money, the simple things that could cut crime back, they don't seem to want to do them.

"It would solve some of the problems," Mrs Goldsmith said of the CCTV. "It seems to work in other places if you have CCTV."

Mrs Goldsmith said that it would make the "yobs" think twice about vandalising more shop windows in Felixstowe - but she said she was not prepared to help pay for the extra security through increased council tax.

The manager also rejected the idea of a small scale CCTV scheme.

"It's a waste of time - either do something whole-heartedly or you don't do anything. Where would you put them? What street is more valuable than another? If you have got to do it you have to protect everyone."

Felixstowe town council is to discuss the call for CCTV in a meeting on November 20 when they will decide on the recommendations they will submit to the district council.

However in advance the Chief Executive of the district council, Tom Griffin has advised the town council that the installation of a CCTV system would be too expensive.

In an advisory letter Mr Griffin informed the town council that Felixstowe had been refused a government grant to fund the installation of CCTV. And as the cost is estimated to be an initial payment of £367,000 and then annual running costs of £75,000 Mr Griffin wrote "you will appreciate that in the absence of central Government funding it was impossible for my council to incur this level of additional expenditure."

Chris Slemmings, chairman of the finance and general purposes committee, has suggested an alternative option which was "that a task group be set up to work towards a pilot scheme using small scale CCTV as a crime reduction method."

Further details of the proposal will be discussed at the council meeting next week.

Factfile: What is included in the cost of £367,000 CCTV system

The £367,000 CCTV system was the cheapest of three option the most expensive was £504,000.

The cheapest system includes 20 cameras - eight in Hamilton Road, ten on the seafront and two at the Dock Spur roundabout.

The 20 cameras cost £63,000, although the biggest cost is £194,000 for the cables to be fitted to carry the signal to Ipswich and Felixstowe police control rooms.

The individual anti-climb poles for the cameras, which are difficult to knock over, will cost £3,000 each.