BUSINESS bosses are being warned to ensure their crime-busting CCTV cameras are up to scratch.

Police are warning that images from some cameras, catching suspects in the act, are so grainy that they can be impossible to identify the offenders.

And crime reduction officers have even reported cameras being obscured by advertising posters around the town.

Now the warning is going out to ensure cameras are free from obstructions and the area being filmed is well-lit.

It comes after Home Office tests showed tapes demonstrated a lack of details because the subject was too small or not in view long enough. Problems were also caused by blurred images.

Chris Waters, crime reduction officer at Astley Bridge police station, said: "As seen on numerous occasions in the BEN, when footage from CCTV is printed to try to identify offenders, sometimes the quality of the picture is very poor, at times being completely impossible to decipher.

"Some businesses and companies spend a lot of money of the installation of good CCTV equipment and then completely forget the routine maintenance of the system.

"The concept of these schemes is excellent in that they serve to act as crime prevention measures, deterring would-be criminals from committing offences. They also act as good measures in the prosecution of offenders." When using colour cameras, to ensure their effectiveness, police are warning that expensive colour monitors must also be used, and any lights used should be white for good colour performance.

Police are also urging people to continually check and replace tapes which are used on their CCTV systems, with video tapes not being constantly re-used. For more information on the use and upkeep of CCTV systems, contact Chris Waters on 0161 856 5746.