A councillor has become so sick of crime that he is giving his own money to the Crimestoppers reward fund.

Councillor Tim Crowther is paying the £100 a month he receives as Spen Valley Area Committee chairman towards the Crimestoppers cash pool.

Anyone who supplies information which will lead to the arrest and conviction of a criminal in Heckmondwike will be entitled to a share of the pot.

"I am funding it with my own money because I became so incensed by the spate of attacks on shops and old people in the town centre last summer," said Coun Crowther (Lab, Heckmondwike).

"We got to the point where there were nine shop windows put through in two weeks and it infuriated me."

He said he wanted to help traders in Heckmondwike who battle against crime on a daily basis. For several years, Heckmondwike Chamber of Trade has pushed for CCTV in the town, only to be told there was not enough crime to warrant its introduction.

"I have wanted to do this for a long time and have decided to put aside £100 per month and add it to the rewards offered by Crimestoppers, which usually start at about £50," said Coun Crowther, who decided to take action because no-one else would.

He said the scheme would be aimed at gathering information about muggers, burglars, shoplifters and graffiti artists. It will be backed by posters all over the town to enhance its deterrent effect.

"I am, in a sense, putting my money where my mouth is," he said, "I want to signal to others that it is possible to act against crime ourselves without waiting for agencies of the state to do it for us. I just want people to feel safe coming into Heckmondwike."

He now hopes businesses and residents will be keen to follow his lead and contribute towards the fund.

"If we had more money coming in, we could branch out from just giving out rewards to paying for our own security system," he said.

Regional Crimestoppers co-ordinator Detective Sergeant Ian Froggitt, said: "It is unique for a community to work with Crimestoppers to stop vandalism, damage and crime, but great that they are empowering themselves and taking action.

"If you want to see your locality improving, there is no point sitting back and expecting somebody else to do it. Make that phone call and let us do the research. What we want is the name of the offender, not the caller.

"Where people are interested in a reward, we give the caller a reference number and ask the caller to ring back if someone is arrested. They can then go along to the bank of their choice and collect the cash."

Anyone with information about crime in Heckmondwike should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.