A CCTV camera is set to be reinstated at the Wathen Wigg Bridge in Northampton town centre following a safety review conducted by the West Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership. The decision to restore the camera comes as a direct response to community concerns after several serious incidents were reported in the area in recent years.
The camera, located at the bridge in Cotton End near the rear of Morrisons, was originally switched off in 2013 by the former Northampton Borough Council. At that time, the decision was made based on the costs of maintaining the system and a lack of reported crime or anti-social behaviour in the location to justify its continued use.
Following a reassessment of the site, West Northamptonshire Council is now working to bring the coverage back. Funding for the project is currently being identified, and officials expect the installation to take place within the next few months.
Local ward councillor Julie Davenport has been a long-term advocate for the return of the camera, repeatedly raising safety concerns with the council and police. Northampton North MP Lucy Rigby also confirmed that she had received word from the council regarding the planned installation.
The new camera will join a wider network of CCTV across the town centre that remains operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The site of the bridge, which opened in 2005 and is named after the founder of the Northampton Saints Rugby Club, became the focus of a murder investigation in August 2025 after a man was found fatally injured on a nearby towpath.
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