AN OUTRAGED wife has welcomed council plans to erect another CCTV camera for £20,000 after an overgrown tree hid the violent and "unprovoked" attack on her husband from a camera.

But Hyndburn Council's plans have been criticised by opposition councillors who questioned whether a tree is worth that amount when the money could have been spent elsewhere.

Coun Jean Battle said: "Nobody wants to cut down trees, but is it worth that much?"

But Leader Coun Peter Britcliffe defended the decision and said the money did not come from the council's budget and if they had chopped down the tree there would have been great protests.

Hyndburn Council have also promised to look at every tree in Accrington town centre to see if they obscure other CCTV cameras and to decide whether to erect other cameras or prune trees.

Elaine appealed for the cherry tree to be felled after her husband Mark was attacked when he was out celebrating the birth of his third child -- a baby girl now around six weeks old -- in Accrington town centre on Saturday June 14.

He was attacked on the corner of Church and Holme Street after he became separated from his friends. He had not been on a night out for over a year but was persuaded to go by family and friends.

Mark, 34, whose other children are two boys aged four and five, was beaten so ferociously that he could not remember who he was until the following afternoon. Police said nobody has been arrested as yet and they are still making enquiries.

Although Mark is recovering at home he still has to go to see specialists because of his injuries, which also included a perforated eardrum and broken jaw.

Elaine contacted the council to see if they would support her appeal when she heard that the police would have seen who did it if it were not for the tree.

Elaine, 25, said: "I'm really pleased that they said they would do it and they said they would look at every tree in the town centre.

"I've seen the tree and it hides the very spot where Mark was attacked, if it were not for it the police would have seen who attacked him. They needed to do something because if it happened again after I warned them there would have been uproar.

"Mark could have died that night, luckily he's at home now, but he still has to go to hospital to see specialists.

"I don't know if he wants me to say this but he still doesn't like being left in the house on his own and when we approach a group of people he squeezes my hand tighter."

Leader of Hyndburn Council Coun Peter Britcliffe said: "We are taking a report through cabinet next week to provide for another camera.

"This new one will look at the blind spot which the old camera missed. The money will come from an underspend of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund from the government. If we don't use it, Hyndburn will lose it.

"Trees enhance the town centre and I am quite sure that had we been chopping down the tree there would have been great protests that the town centre would lose out.

"We believe it is better not to damage the aesthetic beauty of the town centre. Instead we are moving towards a balance that the second camera will provide."

Inspector Phil Cottam said: "I welcome any activity that we can take to increase public safety and obviously maintain the ambience of the town centre that is provided by having trees.

"It is a difficult one to call as to how we balance that but I welcome the council's initiative."

Coun Jean Battle said: "I welcome the news that they are doing something, but I just wonder if the tree is worth that much. Perhaps the money could be spent other things. I also hope that they will continue to prune the trees, if that is what they are going to do throughout the town, all through the year because they will grow back."