SPY cameras could be the solution to a long-standing vandalism problem for motorists living in Colne.

Troublemakers have targeted vehicles parked along Keighley Road for at least three years, ripping off wing mirrors and damaging aerials.

Similar problems have been reported from the Peter Birtwistle bungalows to the Colne Cricket Club end of the main thoroughfare.

The road is often used by town centre revellers as a late-night short cut home but children aged just 12 or 13 have been spotted committing vandalism there in the past.

Now the Colne area committee has backed proposals to introduce concealed cameras at strategic points along the route.

Coun Paul White, who has just been elected for the town’s Boulsworth ward, said: “Several local residents have contacted me to complain about damage being done to their cars at night, particularly down Keighley Road.

“By using the hidden cameras, hopefully we’ll be able to get the evidence needed to make an arrest. I will be monitoring this situation very carefully.”

Coun George Askew, the new area committee chairman, said: “These vandals are causing hundreds of pounds of damage to the cars of innocent people.

“We need to catch the perpetrators and send a clear message that such behaviour is not acceptable in Colne.”

Insp Phil Davies, neighbourhood policing inspector for Colne and Nelson, has pledged police support for the initiative.