The business community of Devizes were thin on the ground at a critical meeting to discuss the future of the town’s CCTV system.

Only one independent business was represented among the six people who turned up at the meeting in the Cheese Hall at the town hall on Thursday evening.

Apart from CCTV manager Noel Woolrych, Sgt Ian Thomas of Devizes police, Lloyd Stevens from Wadworth & Co, Richard Jaggs of Devizes Chamber of Commerce and Richard Mistlin, chairman of the Kennet branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, only Tracey Reed of Ammi Flowers was there from the business community.

Mrs Reed told the Gazette: “It is such a shame there are so few of us here. I think the CCTV system is good news for Devizes and will be a great loss if it goes.”

The meeting was called as a last-ditch attempt to bridge the £11,000 funding gap for the system after Wiltshire Council reneged on Kennet District Council’s agreement to match-fund the system with Devizes Town Council, which also puts in £11,000.

If the missing money is not found by the end of September, the security cameras will be removed and the system mothballed.

Mrs Reed said she was impressed by the quality of the images after Mr Woolrych showed clips of incidents where the CCTV system had identified miscreants.

Sgt Thomas told the meeting: “If you show evidence of this quality in court, you get convictions and perhaps compensation will be paid for damage or loss of goods, which is of benefit to the business community.

“This is a vital evidential tool. It would be a crying shame to lose it.”

Devizes Development Partnership, which runs the system, is looking for 100 businesses prepared to pay £10 a month to help fund the system. Anyone interested should contact Mr Woolrych on 07768 311584 or email noel@woolrych.co.uk