TOWN councillors are calling for more time in the row over CCTV cameras.

Members of Cinderford Town Council want the Forest of Dean District Council to continue paying for CCTV in the area until the end of the financial year in April 2012.

They hope the extra time will allow them to find an alternative to the situation, which will currently see cameras switched off in September as funding runs out.

Council chairman Graham Morgan said: "Cameras are effective, we have got crime figures down in the area because of them.

"We cannot afford to lose them, if we do we will never get them back."

The town council had put aside £1,000 to fund the CCTV cameras in the event the district council scrapped funding, at its meeting on Tuesday.

They believed the police would also contribute, however they are unable to add any funding.

It means the town council has to find £15,000 if it is to keep the cameras operational.

Councillor Headley Sutton said: "I think we have to prepare for a plan B, we will be forced to go it alone.

"Technology is improving and maybe we should invest in small cameras with digital memory cards so we can retrieve pictures if they are needed."

Town councillors agreed to lobby the district council for more time so they could look at other solutions.