THE council invested around £40,000 to upgrade CCTV camera in a town centre car park following 15 vehicle break-ins.

As reported by the Daily Echo, BCP Council ramped up security measures at Avenue Road car park following an "unusual amount" of incidents.

The local authority has now confirmed the cost of their actions to attempt to address the situation and the severity of the problem.

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "We are continuing to gather evidence to provide to police."

The car park is used by many people who work in the town centre and leave their cars unattended all day.

Gary Powell, BCP Council's head of highways and transportation, said: "The car park is manned from 7am till 9pm and has regular security patrols during the night time.

"The council recently invested in new CCTV equipment for the car park and this is actively monitored by the team based at the car park during the hours it is manned. During the night, CCTV is monitored by the team based at Madeira Road Police Station."