PEOPLE in Oswaldtwistle are set to fight back against a spike in crime after being granted money for new technology.

A gun was fired from a car in Stanhill last month in the last in a long line of crime incidents including a series of stone thefts and burglaries.

Stanhill Village’s residents committee has now been given £500 from Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw’s action fund for mobile CCTV equipment which can be used in crime hotspots.

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Richard Hooper, secretary of the committee, said: “We’re a village with a lot of history and it’s a huge shame what has been happening here.

“We’ve had problems with our memorial garden heritage site that has had stones stolen from it. We’ve had burglaries and thefts that have caused big problems.

“We’re really grateful for the funds for the cameras. This can help everyone in the village fight crime.”

The committee said the equipment can be shared among residents and set up in houses near the problems. The footage will then be monitored by police.

Residents were left angry after stones were stolen from the Memorial Gardens, which is an area paying tribute to soldiers from the village who fought in the First World War.

In a separate incident a gun was fired from a car in Stanhill Street last month.

Cllr Glen Harrison, who represents the area on Hyndburn Council, said he hopes the cameras will deter thieves and yobs.

He said: “There’s been a spate of incidents and thefts and that is before we mention the gun crime.

“It’s been a bit of a nightmare.

“We looked at what we could do to help residents with anti-social behaviour and we’ve heard from people in other areas that using CCTV has been effective.

“We’re hoping that this will deter criminals and, if anything happens, we’ll be able to catch them and make sure they are punished.”

Signs will also be put up warning people that CCTV is operational in the village.

Mr Grunshaw said: “My community action fund is there for groups like the Stanhill committee who can see a way to make their community safer or reduce crime and want to do something about it.

“The application for mobile cameras that can be used by anyone in the area as a deterrent is a really innovative way for them to help tackle the issues.”