COUNCIL bosses in Darlington are to consider whether to spend £20,000 a year on cameras which can spot criminals by their car number plates.

The automatic number plate recognition system can tell police within seconds if a vehicle has been stolen or is known to have been involved in a crime.

Darlington Borough Council's cabinet will decide next week whether to allocate £15,000 to £20,000 every year to maintain the cameras.

The £200,000 cost of installation would be paid for by Durham police, using a Government grant.

The cameras scan the number plate of every car which drives past and the numbers are then cross-checked against a series of databases.

Police can use the information provided by the camera system to intercept vehicles and catch criminals.

The system would be monitored by the council's closed-circuit television camera control centre in the town hall.

Eight locations on the main roads into Darlington and at Durham Tees Valley Airport have been identified as possible sites for the system.

Officers have recommended that cabinet members approve the funding for the scheme.