MORE than 40 Silsden residents launched a "Save our Station" campaign outside their dormant police station.

Fed up residents joined councillors and representatives from the town's Business Watch to kickstart a campaign to get the site operational, either as a police station or contact point.

They were armed with banners and a petition. Coun Chris Atkinson said:"This is just the start."Talk to anyone in this town and they will tell you we want our police station back, even if it is just used as a contact point which we have also been campaigning for."

The protest came at the same time as an announcement that CCTV is set to be introduced in the town in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour and slash insurance prices for businesses.

Shops and companies in Silsden are feeling the strain after seeing their premiums rise over 25 per cent in the past three years, due to increased crime.

CCTV frontman and chairman of Business Watch, John Lohan, welcomed grants totalling £69,000 to fund a feasibility study and set up the cameras, but said this was just the beginning.

He would like to see a "Big Brother" campaign launched across the town, with cameras being erected at schools and at the homes of elderly people.