Westhoughton secures mobile CCTV unit to deter crime

The mobile camera will be dispatched to various locations around Westhoughton in an attempt to prevent anti-social behaviour and, if necessary, track down potential criminals.

Westhoughton has been without CCTV for several years due to a number of issues, most recently the collapse of National Car Parks, which ended recent efforts to have Westhoughton’s CCTV system merged with Bolton’s.

The NCP car park at the Octagon Theatre (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr John McHugh said: “We have funds now for mobile CCTV in Westhoughton, which we’ll be using on Market Street.

“The camera will be used to target known hot spots that are affecting residents, local businesses and property.

“Monitoring will be controlled by the anti-social behaviour team in the council and local police. The camera will be moved to different locations where incidents have been reported.”

Westhoughton has been without CCTV for several years due to a series of issues.

The town has been seeking to upgrade its systems since 2023, planning to merge them with Bolton’s systems, meaning they would both be monitored together.

Ditchfield Gardens Car Park, Westhoughton, would have been the site of new CCTV cameras if NCP had not gone bust in March (Image: Google Maps)

A recent report called Westhoughton’s system ‘out of date’, with some cameras no longer working.

The necessity for more cameras was also raised in 2025 after a series of incidents of car vandalism in Westhoughton car parks.

Earlier this year, Bolton Council finally agreed to the proposal to join Westhoughton’s CCTV system up with Bolton’s, where both systems would be managed centrally from Topp Way, Bolton.

The scheme was agreed at a Cabinet Leader Portfolio meeting on March 4.

However, almost as soon as this scheme was agreed, National Car Parks (NCP), who operate and monitor Bolton’s CCTV cameras, went bust.

The back of Library Street Car Park, Westhoughton (Image: Google Maps)

This put several years of work by Westhoughton Town Council in jeopardy as they struggled to get updates from either Bolton Council or NCP themselves.

This latest move will be the first update to Westhoughton’s CCTV system in several years, allowing problem hotspots to be targeted.