Breckland Council will 'pull out all the stops' to ensure CCTV cameras across the district do not stop rolling when its contractor goes into liquidation at the end of the month.

The council said it became aware Advance Monitoring Solutions (AMS) was in trouble three weeks ago, and after considering several options it decided on Monday that coverage in Dereham, Thetford, Swaffham, Watton and Attleborough should continue after July 31.

Breckland cabinet member Lynda Turner said: 'We have now discussed this matter at length and are determined to do everything we can to keep Breckland's CCTV system up and running in the short term.

'We have now instructed officers to pull out all the stops to ensure that, within existing budgets, the cameras continue to function past July 31.

'This situation has arisen without warning and putting in place this short term solution will give us the time needed to come to informed and responsible decisions about the future of CCTV in the district and enable us to discuss the issue in more detail with both our partners and the public.'

The council signed a �3.5m 10-year contract in 2009 with AMS, which operated 63 surveillance cameras in the market towns.

Breckland Labour leader Terry Jermy said: 'I hope the council is reviewing contracts with other providers in case this happens again. There's a worrying trend at the moment with more and more services being outsourced to private companies and greater emphasis on savings rather than quality.

'It's about the whole picture rather than just how much you are going to save in the short term.'