A BARBER whose shop was damaged when burglars tried to break in has criticised Colchester’s CCTV system.

The crooks did £200 damage when they attempted to kick in the front door of Something for the Weekend Sir, by Scheregate Steps, on Saturday night.

Barber Greg Holbrow says police told him they had no way to catch the culprits, because Colchester Council’s cameras didn’t cover his shop – a claim the council has denied.

Mr Holbrow said: “To do the damage would have needed more determination and effort than the average drunken vandal and would have taken a minute or two “If a camera had been panning around, it would have caught a decent image of whoever did this, but the cameras only cover St John’s Street and Eld Lane, not our little passage.”

He was also critical of the council for not cleaning the historic steps.

Mr Holbrow, who used to run a barber’s shop in Military Road, said he had spent £4,000 refurbishing his new shop, which opened in September.

He added: “I’ve tried to do it in keeping with the area, so it looks like it’s been here for ever, I’ve invested in Colchester and I’m paying business rates, but I feel like I’m not getting anything back from the council.”

Tim Young, the councillor responsible for street and waste services said CCTV did cover the Scheregate Steps shops “from the top and bottom”.

He added: “If Mr Holbrow can provide more details of when the incident occurred, we can check our coverage for him.”

Mr Young said the council received “more compliments than complaints” about tidiness in the town centre.

He went on: “I would suggest this is a disgruntled individual who has been the victim of an unfortunate incident and is lashing out.”

l Anyone with information is urged to contact PC Amanda Beck, at Colchester police station, on 0300 3334444.