New CCTV cameras have been installed in Thornbury in an attempt to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Old analogue cameras have been removed and replaced with new digital cameras that produce images that are nearly four times clearer.

Thornbury has been hit by numerous incidents of anti-social behaviour in recent months, most notably at Thornbury Hospital and The Castle School.

Twenty-three cameras in Thornbury, Filton, Staple Hill, Cadbury Heath and Hanham were at the end of their life in January and could have failed at any point.

A specialist company was paid £31,500 to urgently replace the CCTV infrastructure and install the new internet protocol (IP) cameras.

The work to replace the cameras was the conclusion of a two-year council programme to upgrade its CCTV network with the new technology.

The total cost of the project was £110,760.

A spokesman for South Gloucestershire Council said: “A one megapixel IP camera – generally the lowest resolution camera on the market – has almost four times the resolution of an analogue camera.

“With this added resolution, faces become clearer, license plates become easier to read and larger areas can be covered by a single camera.”

“This upgrade was required as IP digital cameras are now the industry standard as analogue technology is old, outdated and soon to be no longer supported.

“The work was essential to enable us to continue to provide our community safety camera network relied upon by us, our communities, businesses and partners such as the police.”

A spokeswoman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “Good quality CCTV can make a significant difference in police investigations.

“We work closely with South Gloucestershire Council’s CCTV team and they also alert us to any suspicious incidents or offences as they happen.”

The council does not wish to publicise the location of the CCTV cameras for security reasons.