A BID for Government cash to fund a £1million CCTV crime-busting camera scheme in East Lancashire has been successful.

"Spy in the sky" cameras will be installed in Nelson, Padiham, Bacup and Haslingden and linked to the monitoring centre in Burnley, which will be "beefed up" to enable it to cope with the extra demand.

Campaigners who have been fighting for the crime-fighting cameras for years are delighted at the news.

Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale councils, together with Lancashire Police, whose Pennine division covers the boroughs, submitted a joint bid for Home Office cash earlier this year.

News has now come through that the bid has passed the first and major hurdle. The original bid has to be polished up and a fuller, more detailed application put in.

As long as that meets the Government's criteria the money will be released.

After years of opposition to CCTV cameras in Pendle, in just a few months since the demise of the Liberal Democrat administration in May's local elections, funding to buy and run equipment has been agreed and a system in Nelson given the green light.

Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of Pendle Council's Labour group, said: "It's tremendous news for local people and local businesses, who have been calling for CCTV for years.

"It's a kick in the teeth for the Liberal Democrats, who said we would never get government money to do this. We've proved them wrong."

Coun Ali will call for an urgent meeting of the council's CCTC working group, which he chairs, to put together a full application in time for the November 19 deadline. The group will work alongside Burnley and Rossendale councils.

Coun Ali said despite LibDem opposition to CCTV cameras in Colne "we will be looking at extending the scheme at the next stage of bidding." Rossendale Council's solicitor, John Tradewell, added: "We are confident these cameras will have a significant effect in cutting crime in this area."

The bid for just under £700,000 of government cash will be partially matched by cash from other sources, to bring the total investment in crime-fighting to about £1 million. The money will bring six cameras to Haslingden, eight to Bacup, 12 in Nelson and four cameras plus 'help points' giving the public direct telephone access to the police in Padiham. The bulk of the investment will be in upgrading and extending the existing monitoring centre in Burnley.

In Burnley, Coun Tony Harrison, chairman of the town's Community Safety Partnership, welcomed the go-ahead saying: "This is wonderful news. If the bid is ultimately successful, Burnley will be the first area in the country to develop a CCTV system along police divisional boundary lines.

"It will result in significant savings for both Rossendale and Pendle Community Safety Partnerships and councils and will bring in additional revenue to allow Burnley to develop its control room and increase staffing levels. It will also bring cameras to Padiham."

Coun Harrison added: "The council has long been aware of the Padiham community's wish to see cameras in the town centre and has set aside £30,000 of its own capital to match fund grant from the Home Office to provide four cameras in the heart of the town."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.