A PARISH council is seeking to put up a crime-busting camera at a key road junction in the Lake District.

Lakes Parish Council has set aside £10,000 to install an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera at the Waterhead junction on the A591 leading in and out of Ambleside.

The move has been prompted by concerns over falling police budgets and a perceived rise in crime.

Councillors recognise that the junction is used by criminals entering the Lake District from the south.

It is hoped that the tracking of cars passing through it will act as a deterrent and help police in catching unwelcome visitors.

"Anybody coming into Lakes parish has to go through this point," said Lakes Parish Council clerk Michael Johnson. "It's the main access point and the main egress point.

"The reason we need the ANPR cameras is because police numbers have really depleted in the area. The parish council want to work in partnership with the police to help them prevent crime.

"I think this needs to be a priority. For the past two years as I have watched police presence deplete over time.

"I think there has been an increase in crime over the past few years. I read what is reported and I know how stretched police resources are. There used to be 24 officers in the area and now we don't have half that.

"We recognise the problems that the police face and we want to help them."

ANPR cameras were first deployed in the 1980s in an attempt to help track stolen vehicles. Since then their use has grown and they now track any vehicle which passes the camera.

They are commonly present in police vehicles, and can also be used in fixed locations where they are placed to act as crime deterrents.

The cameras instantly check the registration number of a car against database records of vehicles of interest.

A record for all vehicles passing by a camera is stored on a database for two years. Only members of police staff with relevant roles have access to the data.

A spokesman for the police said that there had been no approach from Lakes Parish Council. He confirmed that there were ANPR cameras in operation but would not confirm how many or where they were sited for operational reasons.

Councillors plan to approach the new Police and Crime Commissioner when elected in May to pitch an installation proposal.

Cllr Michael Johnson said: "When the new PCC is voted in I will be the first call at his door with this."

"We are waiting for the constabulary to accept the money and get on with it," said Cllr Leslie Johnson. "We desperately want to contribute the money if they will allow it.

"I personally would be delighted to sign that cheque. This matter is vitally important. It's an incredible contribution to the parish and the county.

"It will be very useful to have a camera at this salient point."

The Lakes parish is the largest in Cumbria covering 52 square miles. Councillors believe that the installation of an ANPR would be the first in the parish.

ANPR surveillance has proved controversial and concerns have been raised about a potential invasion of privacy.

Charles Farrier of No CCTV said: "Number plate recognition cameras have been mis-sold to the public.

"This is a mass surveillance tool which was constructed without any public debate. Notions of 'nothing to hide, nothing to fear' show a ludicrous degree of naïvety."

However police assert that they follow strict codes of practice as to how the data collected by ANPR is used.

National guidelines are in place to ensure that there is a 'clear need' for their placement, taking into account the potential for the prevention of national security, major and local crime and community confidence.

Michael Johnson said: "Everybody in the council has agreed that this is a good idea. Privacy is not an issue at all.

"We are trying to safeguard the area because of the depleted police presence. This partnership would provide a benefit to the area and to the police that would far outweigh any concerns about privacy."