CCTV cameras which had recently been installed in the town have been removed after Warrington North MP Helen Jones criticised the council for failing to carry out a consultation.

A number of residents have been in touch with the Warrington Guardian to raise concerns about the installation of cameras in Lymm, Croft, Culcheth and Stockton Heath.

Mrs Jones has since expressed her outrage that CCTV cameras were installed without any consultation with residents or councillors.

She said: “After contacting the council I learnt that the cameras were put up by a company called Streetwise on behalf of another company called I-Transport who were acting for Peel Holdings.

“It makes one wonder why Peel Holdings are targeting this area and which green spaces they want to build on next. 

"The cameras were apparently for a traffic survey which, as it was being done in half-term, would not have revealed the real volume of traffic in the area.

“I was very concerned about who was collecting this data and why. There were also issues of privacy and data protection involved. 

"People did not know who was collecting information or how it would be used. 

"The cameras have now been taken down and the council has conceded that they should not have been put up without consultation. 

“This should never have been allowed to happen. 

"It’s yet another example of council officers bending over backwards for developers and ignoring the rights of residents."

The council has been contacted for a comment over the CCTV.