Don't worry, be happy! Big Brother 'spy' cameras are here to watch over your every move

                                                

Not for nothing is the surveillance suite described as a 'control' room 

NOVELIST George Orwell's 1984 vision of a world in which the State spies on its citizens has come a step closer in Grimsby town centre.

New CCTV cameras have been installed, with 'operatives' in a refurbished control room monitoring the moving images.

According to North East Lincolnshire Council, 97 existing CCTV cameras have been upgraded and a further 61 new ones installed.

In addition, mobile cameras are being deployed across the borough.

Without giving details, the authority says the surveillance is set to continue "to a greater degree".

The Big Brother installations, which have cost the council taxpayer £2.2-million, come with a warning to the public "not to put a foot wrong" or else.

"This piece of work has been about making residents feel safer on our streets and in their communities," says NELC cabinet member Cllr Ron Shepherd.

The Grimsby News says: This initiative is doubtless well intentioned, but, nonethelesss, it is very sinister, not to say downright creepy. No one likes to feel snooped on. What calibre of  staff are in the control room? Who are their employers? How long will the images be retained before they are destroyed? Who owns their copyright? What protection is there for the privacy of the individual? The council has many questions to answer. Spying on its citizens  may be OK for Russia and China, but surely not here? This was not how England was meant to be.