A town's lack of CCTV compared to its neighbours is unfair, irritating and unacceptable, councillors said.

Halstead Town Council slammed Braintree Council's commitment to start phase two of Witham and Braintree's CCTV schemes, before Halstead had even started.

At Thursday's town council meeting, councillors said Halstead had been fobbed off with a mobile CCTV system, which had never actually been seen in use.

Malcolm Fincken (Lab) said: "I think it's inequitable and has been for many years and quite wrong that the district council as a whole can think it's OK to provide CCTV in two of its towns and not the other one."

Councillors will ask the town's acting inspector, Bernie Tompsett, to attend a Braintree Council meeting to support Halstead's bid for equal treatment.

A three-man working group, to lobby on the issue, was also formed.