CCTV cameras have been installed at Ben Rhydding Station following numerous complaints about vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Fourteen cameras have been put in place by Northern as part of a multi-million pound modernisation programme across its stations.

The move has been welcomed by Ilkley’s MP John Grogan who has held discussions with Northern about making the station more secure and safe.

He said: “Earlier this year I had many complaints from local residents about crime on and around Ben Rhydding Station. I hope these new cameras will make passengers feel safer. Pretty well every angle is covered so any wrongdoers can be identified and prosecuted.”

He added: “CCTV has a variety of uses and foremost amongst them for the police is the ability to identify and track suspects and their movements following a reported incident or intelligence report. Images taken from station CCTV systems are regularly circulated to local police and other agencies and frequently issued to the media as part of a witness appeal. Thousands of crimes have been solved in this way. CCTV also has benefits as a surveillance tool, offering real-time monitoring of a location.

“British courts are used to having CCTV as part of the evidence in a trial and it can often play a very powerful role in bringing the guilty to justice.”

Ilkley Ward councillor Anne Hawkesworth, who supports moves to get CCTV for Ilkley, said: “The station at Ben Rhydding has long been a loophole for disorder.

“I am very pleased that that has now been closed and at least the police can check who has arrived there if there are any issues or events to be traced.”

She described the cameras as a “step forward for increasing security in Ben Rhydding” but added that Ilkley centre was still not covered.

Last year Ilkley police and British Transport Police joined forces to tackle anti-social behaviour at Ben Rhydding Station, which was described by Ilkley ward officer PC Sam Buckley as a “bit of a hotspot” for anti-social behaviour.