A FIVE-YEAR investment programme to modernise Lewisham's CCTV system has been approved.

Councillors and police hope the scheme, costing nearly £1m, will help combat crime and anti-social behaviour.

Within the first year of the programme, £143,000 will be spent replacing the analogue recording technology with a digital system to improve image quality.

And from April, repairs and maintenance will begin, costing £450,00 over three years, to ensure the borough's 182 cameras are kept in good working order.

But council chiefs face challenges as nearly £200,000 needs to be found over the five years to fund the scheme.

So far, £723,000 of funding has been made available from Lewisham Council.

But a total of £903,000 is needed to ensure the modernisation programme extends the lifetime of the system beyond 15 years.

Liberal Democrat councillor Simon Carter sits on the safer stronger communities select committee, which looked into the issue.

He said: "We are pleased an improvement programme has been approved, but we are concerned the extra money required has still not been confirmed.

"Without it, the lifetime of the improvement works will only last between seven and 10 years."

The council has pledged to look into ways to raise the additional £180,000 needed.

Lewisham Mayor Steve Bullock approved the scheme on January 31 at a meeting with his cabinet members at Lewisham Council's civic suite, Rushey Green, Catford.

It follows a review carried out by consultants JMT Systems last autumn which said the CCTV network needed more investment to continue functioning.

The review recommended putting more money into radio communications and expanding the CCTV control room at Eros House, Catford.

A report presented to the council's safer stronger communities select committee last month stated: "Modernisation of the CCTV service is vital if it is to be a valuable tool in combating crime and anti-social behaviour."