THE number of public CCTV cameras in York has increased by more than 70 per cent over three years, new research shows.

The study from IronmongeryDirect, supplier of specialist ironmongery, issued Freedom of Information requests to local authorities and found that almost seven in 10 have increased their CCTV presence since 2019.

The figures show that in York there are now 515 cameras controlled by the local authority, compared to 299 three years ago.

Across the UK, there are now 108,533 public cameras, representing an increase of 14 per cent, which is 12,960 new devices. This doesn’t include privately owned equipment, such as cameras operated by businesses or members of the public, so the overall total will be even greater.

The biggest rise in CCTV has been in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, where the council now operates 468 cameras, compared to 101 in 2019 – an increase of 363 per cent. A new system has recently been installed that added multiple static cameras in locations where there used to be one pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) device.

The biggest numerical increase was found in Liverpool, where there are now 741 more cameras than there were in 2019, from 754 up to 1,495. But, the London Borough of Hackney has the highest level of surveillance.