THE Home Office seems set to step in with more than £250,000 to foil young thugs plaguing two North Yorkshire communities over the winter months.

Residents from both Scotton and Hipswell have been forced to call police dozens of times to numerous incidents of vandalism.

Others who have challenged the teenagers' behaviour have been shouted at or abused - one even finding excrement smeared on the windows of her home.

When a meeting was called to discuss the issue in January, those who attended first had to remove a wall of snow built to block the door of the village hall in Scotton.

However, the culprits' days of nuisance may now be numbered with the announcement the Government has short-listed an ambitious bid for surveillance cameras for both villages.

Scotton's ward councillor on the Richmondshire authority, Pat Middlemiss, said: "It would be really good news.

"I think it will help. If the cameras are in strategic places, it will make it easier to apprehend troublemakers.

"I think people are bound to feel safer if they know there are cameras watching the streets,'' she added.

Scotton Parish Council's annual meeting was held last night - and was attended by both the police and members of the county council.

All are aware a £261,164 grant - which would cover the cost of five cameras for Scotton and two for Hipswell - has not yet been ratified officially.

However, the Ministry of Defence, which already has a control room monitoring the centre of Catterick Garrison, has already agreed to allow the additional units to be added to its network.

Hipswell's ward councillor, Richard Good, was also optimistic yesterday.

He said: "It sounds as if we're in with a very good chance.

"We put in a joint bid with Scotton because it made more sense and that seems it may have paid off.

"In Hipswell, what we really want is a camera to watch the school entrance. Not only is it dangerous at busy times, but it's where there have been incidents of vandalism.

"CCTV would help with road safety and in reducing crime as cameras are a deterrent - both for dangerous drivers and criminals.