A campaign group has called an increase in CCTV "a waste of taxpayer’s money" as the number of surveillance cameras more than tripled in three years.

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that there has been a 250 per cent increase in the number of CCTV cameras operated by Lewes District Council since 2019.

The data was retrieved as part of nationwide data collection by IronmongeryDirect and revealed that Lewes had the third-highest increase in surveillance cameras across the UK.

The number of CCTV cameras controlled by Lewes District Council more than tripled from eight to 28 cameras in three years.

A spokeswoman from Big Brother Watch, a civil liberties campaign group, told the Argus: “This huge increase in CCTV is a waste of taxpayer's money. Cash-strapped local authorities should be putting money into supporting residents, not spying on them."

“Research shows that surveillance cameras rarely prevent crime, but that too much surveillance curbs our rights and freedoms.”

Nationally, the number of council-controlled public cameras increased by 14 per cent from 2019 to 2022.

Dominick Sandford, managing director at IronmongeryDirect, predicts that the number of CCTV camera in the UK will continue to increase.

He said: “CCTV is an integral part of modern-day society, and cameras have become more commonplace in recent years as technology and connectivity have improved. 

“The increases revealed in our research might raise privacy concerns, but generally CCTV benefits the safety and security of both the public and businesses.”

Lewes District Council said the number of cameras it operates remains very low compared to other authorities.

A spokesman for the council said: “The increase in cameras is due to the prevention and detection of environmental crime, particularly fly-tipping, and the protection of council buildings and staff.

“Before CCTV is installed a data protection impact assessment is completed and annual reviews take place to ensure that the need for CCTV remains."