RESIDENTS living in the Railway Village could be among the first to receive a ticking off from the town's answer to Big Brother.

Council tenants will come face to face with talking CCTV cameras tomorrow at the Central Community Centre in Emlyn Square.

And if they aren't on their best behaviour, they may be reprimanded by council staff, who watch all at the Waterside CCTV station.

The CCTV debut is part of a week of action, which aims to help people find out more about council services.

The state-of-the-art wireless cameras with microphones will be piloted in Penhill to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

Offenders will receive a warning if monitoring staff witness a crime being committed.

It follows a successful two-month trial in Welcombe Avenue, Park North, where a non-talking mobile camera halved residents' complaints about anti-social behaviour.

After the success in deterring crime in Park North, the council has since ordered three more.

Councillors believe the sophisticated cameras could help curb anti-social behaviour in the Railway Village.

Coun Sinead Darker (Con, Central) said: "I know CCTV would be welcomed by the residents of the village, who have spoken to me often about the level of anti-social behaviour in the area.

"Locals are fed up with drunken louts wandering through on their way home, urinating in gardens and alleys and chucking bottles and cans into carefully tended gardens.

"They also complain about how their area is targeted by drug dealers. However, even technological advances in CCTV which allow interaction, cannot replace good, local intelligence from concerned residents, combined with support from the police in the community."

Coun Derique Montaut, (Lab, Central) says he would also welcome the talking cameras.

"I think it is one of the many good examples of using technology to monitor what is going on," he said. "Hopefully, it would bring down the anti-social behaviour in the Railway Village."

But Railway Village resident Martha Parry is more cautious about embracing the cameras and is reserving judgement until she encounters the technology.

She said: "I will be interested to see how other residents react, but we will have to wait and see."

She said progress was already being made to tackle the historic quarter's problems.

The council is running a range of community improvement events in the Railway Village throughout the week.

A Rubbish Amnesty will take place today when residents can get refuse taken away free of charge. Residents are also invited to join Neighbourhood wardens to tidy the area tomorrow.