A SECOND surveillance camera will be switched on in Melksham next week in a bid to catch town centre vandals on tape.

A CCTV camera on top of Lovejoys in High Street is being trialed, in a bid to stop attacks on town centre shops.

Several stores, including Kingstons Estate Agents and the former Peter Briggs shoe shop have been attacked in recent weeks and businessed have forked out thousands of pounds for repairs.

Calls for more cameras were also made last month when raiders stole thousands of pounds worth of sportswear from Avon and Angling Sportswear in Bath Road.

A bid for Home Office money is in the pipeline to install a CCTV system in Melksham similar to the one currently being installed in Trowbridge.

A map of where cameras should be located around the centre is being drawn-up along with a list of vandalism hot-spots.

The new camera will be linked up with the camera in Church Street.