The issue of CCTV in Marlborough was debated once more last night during the Marlborough Area Board meeting when the town’s Chamber of Commerce applied for a £5,000 towards its installation.

The meeting was told that the chamber could not financially back the project but would support it in other ways.

However, a number of residents felt that the chamber should not be awarded grant money for a commercial project.

Resident Sam Page said: “I think if the Chamber of Commerce want this funding they should be funding it themselves, after all they are businesses.

“The people who really need the help of CCTV are people who live in areas of the town which are having burglaries and they are householders, not people who are profiting along the High Street.

“These grants are meant for people who are doing voluntary work, I think.”

The chamber originally applied for the grant from the area board last year and was supported in principle but deferred until the town council had a firm CCTV plan in place. Coun Marian Hannaford Dobson said: “The town council has, for some time, been trying to promote CCTV in the town. We’re one of the few towns on the M4 corridor without CCTV and so we have borrowed crooks that come in.

“The town council have worked very hard to try and save money towards this, we’re absolutely delighted that the Chamber of Commerce have come on board and tried to do their little bit.”

The application was put to a public vote with 18 in favour and 22 against. It was approved by the top table with Coun Stewart Dobson and Coun James Sheppard voting in favour and Coun Jemima Milton abstaining.