TWO village communities are celebrating a breakthrough in a lengthy battle against vandals after ambitious plans to install security cameras were approved.

The Home Office has awarded a grant of more than £250,000 to the parishes of Scotton and Hipswell to help them to foil young thugs who have been terrorising the area.

Seven cameras will be monitored by the Ministry of Defence, which has agreed to add them to its existing network watching nearby Catterick Garrison.

Scotton parish chairman, Pat Middlemiss, said that young tearaways had been making life in the area a misery.

"They were targeting elderly people which was extremely sad. They were just going all over the place and you really couldn't say what they were going to do next," she said. "We started work on the bid in December and we have got the funding now, which is great news."