More than 1,600 people have now backed a campaign to have CCTV in Bexley monitored live following a controversial decision to no longer watch footage in real-time.

A decision, made in 2016, means that cameras are now available to the police as and when they are needed, and are otherwise maintained by the council, but not watched live.

A petition calling on the council to reinstate "live monitoring" has now been backed by 1,650 people.

Petitions organiser Chris Brown said: “I was watching it on the first day and it kept going up and up and up. It’s amazing really.

“It’s not to do with politics. People from all sides have signed, because people from every area have said ‘do you know what? We need this to feel safe’.”

Mr Brown said it would be more beneficial for cameras to be proactive, rather than reactive, to help tackle crime.

Teresa O’Niell said the council works with the police in an arrangement that effectively uses resources in residents’ best long-term interests.

She said: “The recordings are also kept for a period of time so that they can be used to solve crime that isn’t seen at the time – even when we had staff monitoring they didn’t see everything and it wasn’t being recorded in the same way then – as indeed it was during the Northumberland Heath incident which is the best example of how the current system works well for our residents.

“We continue to ensure we work with our partners, including the police, for the best interests of our residents.”

The Northumberland Heath incident relates to 2016 when a huge brawl erupted involving more than 100 youths, leaving two teenagers in hospital.

Bexley Labour proposed reinvesting £250,000 in monitoring cameras during a budget meeting in March, but the amendment was rejected.

Labour leader Daniel Francis said previously: “While our overstretched police are able to monitor the cameras, they have told us they do not have the resource to carry this out on a live basis.

“The council pays £585,000 a year to maintain the cameras and the maintenance costs of a building fitted out to monitor CCTV, but the building sits empty.

“Bexley residents are rightly calling for the cameras to be watched on a live basis, in order to reduce crime, and sadly Tory councillors remain in denial on this important issue.”

The petition will be delivered to the council after the upcoming local elections.

Siemens, the company the Bexley Council CCTV contract is with, won an award in 2012 for its use of technology in the borough.