VICTIMS of crime today welcomed urgent action by council engineers to fix the city's dilapidated CCTV camera network.

The Evening Press yesterday revealed the shocking state of the antiquated system and police fears that it could no longer effectively help public safety.

Council chiefs have pledged to fix all but one of the problems "by the end of next week" and contractors have already reinstated vital recording equipment.

Video shop manager Aidan Pole, 24, who was the victim of an unprovoked attack in High Ousegate which was not caught on camera because of faulty equipment, welcomed the news.

He said: "It's great that the council are finally acting even if it seems to have taken them a long time.

"These cameras need to be working properly."

Bev Tebbutt, who was the victim of an attempted armed robbery at her Stonebow newsagent's shop last year, said getting the cameras back on line is "good news".

She said: "It's pointless having them if they are not working.

"It will be good to know that the camera is working, even if I would like it to point at my shop more often!"

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "Repairing the CCTV cameras is an urgent priority for the council, though only five are regarded as being unable to provide the level of service required.

"All the faults, with the exception of one, will be rectified by the end of next week."

Contractors have repaired a complicated recording machine that is attached to 11 cameras spread across city.

Now operators will once again be able to capture on film any suspicious busy streets including Stonebow, Crichton Avenue, Fishergate, Castle car park and Monkbar.

Council bosses are also looking at the recommendations of a report in to problems with night time vision with some cameras, and said funding is needed to pay for improvements.

They were forced to admit that some cameras were unable to see effectively in the dark because of mechanical faults.

The Evening Press revealed how 23 out of the 59 cameras in the city had problems. Council bosses blamed the problems on the age of the system, which has 16 cameras that are more than ten years old.

Updated: 11:49 Saturday, January 15, 2005