New CCTV equipment is set to be installed at Cricklade Leisure Centre following an increase in anti-social behaviour.

The move to replace the current off-the-shelf system is due to be discussed at Wednesday night’s Royal Wootton Bassett and Cricklade Area Board meeting, where the trust running the centre is applying for a £5,000 grant towards a new one costing £10,000.

The town has been plagued with incidents of vandalism and noise in recent months.

Just before Christmas police issued a dispersal order for the area after being called out several times in the space of a few weeks.

In October a man was viciously assaulted outside his home after being confronted with a gang of teens when he went out to investigate a loud bang against his front door.

There have also been cases of vandalism and complaints about noise from youths congregating in the area.

Centre manager Gary Walker said the existing CCTV needed to be replaced with a more up-to-date system with better image quality.

“We have had issues in the car park where the CCTV that we do have at the moment has not identified people," he said.

"The quality of the pictures has not been good enough.”

He said the car park was used regularly by people as a short cut between their houses and the high street as well as by people going to the centre and some felt intimidated by the behaviour of the teens who gathered there.

“We have always had youths hanging round the centre. We accept that. But the group we have now just don’t seem to know what is acceptable and what is not,” he said.

There was also concern that the 10 years spent building up the community-run facility would be put in jeopardy if the gangs of youths began to put people off using it.

The meeting at Cricklade Town Hall is open to the public and starts at 7pm.