CCTV is checking your rubbish

Herts Advertiser
Nov. 10, 2006

CCTV cameras have been installed at a household waste site in the district which was recently rebuilt.

The news comes at a time when it has been revealed that the UK has more surveillance than most other countries with a CCTV camera for every 14 people.

The latest Big Brother cameras have been placed at various locations at the Dark Lane depot in Harpenden including the entrance and exit to enable Herts County Council to check vehicle registration plates.

A spokesperson for Herts County Council was at pains to stress that the cameras were primarily there because of problems which occurred at waste sites and not to spy on people going about their business.

CCTV cameras have been installed at four waste sites in Herts as part of the construction contracts. The county council's assistant waste manager, Mark Simpkins, said they had proved invaluable and were used to analyse trends by monitoring who was using the centre, what was being thrown away and how often.

He added: "Council employees at County Hall can remotely assist the on-site contractors if needed via a live secure internet connection. Due to the high clarity of the camera images, HCC can confirm or deny if certain materials are acceptable for disposal at the site.

"They also act as a good deterrent to anyone abusing council employees or the centre itself."

The county council spokesperson said there were "real problems" at some sites which suffered vandalism, break-ins and theft, particularly those on which scrap metal was stored.

"It is in place in the same way as CCTV is in car parks or shopping centres."

He added: "We are not trying to spy on people using the site but it does help us to see how they are being used and the number of visits. The primary purpose is security and we are looking to install them in some of the older sites.