A councillor has vented her frustration after Abbots Langley Parish Council and Hillside Residents’ Association were not consulted as to whether CCTV cameras should be installed in the village.

Business owners across Abbots Langley High Street and School Mead were asked during October 2011 as to whether they felt the need for the cameras.

Residents, Abbots Langley police and Neighbourhood Watch members were also included in the consultation, carried out by Three Rivers Community Safety Partnership.

As a result of the findings, the village will not have CCTV cameras installed.

But Abbots Langley Parish and Three Rivers District Councillor Sara Bedford has hit out at this decision and the way the consultation was carried out.

She voiced her disappointment that the views of Abbots Langley Parish Council, the residents’ association and the wider community had not been taken into consideration.

The Liberal Democrat representative said: “I don’t think this consultation has been carried out in an open and public manner and many have not been given the opportunity to give their opinions.

“Whilst Abbots Langley has a low crime rate, people’s fear of crime and unease can be a blot on their lives.”

Chief Inspector Catherine Akehurst, said Abbots Langley will not have CCTV cameras installed due to low crime rates in the area, the visible presence of the village’s police station and PCSOs and the active Neighbourhood Watch group.

All of which, she said: “Are deterrents to any would-be criminal given the low level of crime”.

But the sentiments of Councillor Bedford have been echoed by chairman of Hillside Residents’ Association, Peter Scott.

The 71-year-old said: “This is the first we have heard about this consultation.

“As we represent School Mead residents, we would have thought we’d have been one of the first ports of call. The fact we haven’t been is a poor show. We know what’s going on in our area.

“There should be CCTV cameras in School Mead and in the High Street. There are far too many youths hanging around and causing trouble late at night.”

Two camera packages would cost Three Rivers District Council £14,000, with additional costs associated with converting lamp posts to have an electricity supply.

Joy Morais, who works at one of the village’s High Street shops, also voiced her concerns.

The 56-year-old said: “I certainly have not been consulted, and I live in a flat just above the shop.

“We need CCTV, it may be a low crime rate area, but that is not to say there isn’t trouble in the High Street.

“I constantly see gangs of teenagers hanging around or playing chicken in the street.

“It’s intimidating.”

Three Rivers Safety Community Partnership has defended its actions, but conceded that the parish council could have been more formally involved.

Chief Inspector Akehurst added that there was not enough money available to pay for CCTV everywhere that people would like, but that the results of the consultation would help safety organisations working in Abbots Langley to understand residents’ and shopkeepers’ concerns.