A NORTH-EAST town will become the first place in the country to get security cameras in pubs to feed live images directly to police.

As the country moves towards a 24-hour drinking culture, the scheme in Darlington could see cameras recording in pubs, bars and clubs across the town.

Pubs would not be constantly monitored, but staff would be able to press a panic button if trouble broke out.

The cameras would send live pictures via Internet broadband into a town hall closed-circuit TV (CCTV) nerve centre, and from there to police.

If the scheme is successful it could become a major weapon against drunken violence across the country.

The scheme is the result of a collaboration between Darlington police and County Durham company ESS, which supplies CCTV systems throughout the UK.

Landlords got their first chance to see the system in action during a demonstration at the town hall yesterday.

Pubs would pay up to £25 a week to get the cameras and be part of the scheme.

Police forces across the North-East are looking at the Darlington plans with interest. Many force representatives attended yesterday's meeting.

PC Steve Rich, crime reduction officer, said: "Hopefully, a lot of pubs will take this up. Police will actually be able to see pictures of the incident instead of just being told about it on the phone.

"Often when officers get called to incidents in the town, we have a completely different picture in our minds to the reality."

On Monday, control over liquor licenses switches from magistrates to local authorities, and landlords will be asked to take more responsibility for crime prevention.

This year, many licensed premises are expected to apply for licenses to be open beyond 11pm.

Darlington has one of the most integrated CCTV systems in the country, with 131 cameras constantly recording and feeding into the town hall.