'We can't afford it': Market Drayton councillors turn down SmartWater offer

Councillor Mark Whittle said that the council could not afford to buy the kits and distribute them to homes in Market Drayton.

SmartWater is a traceable asset-tagging system that can be applied to valuable items to make them harder to sell on by criminals.

Councillor Whittle told the council's finance and general purposes committee the scheme a "white elephant" and said each kit would cost at least £9.

"For a small parish council it would be perfect but for a place with 4,000 houses, we just can't afford it," he said.

Councillor Roy Aldcroft said that the council had committed money to upgrading CCTV cameras and street lighting, and that spending thousands of pounds on SmartWater kits would be "a bridge too far".

He called for extra investment in crime deterrence by the police and crime commissioner's office instead.

Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Whittle said: "We've got 4,000 homes and it was going to cost £25 per house. If we get a discount, £9 and we don't know if we get the discount.

Gamble

"It means we have to open a shop. You've got to put two or three people to sell it and instruct people how to use it.

"The cost is just ridiculous, we can't afford it. It's not cost effective. We're not prepared to gamble the town's money.

"We'd have to spend a minimum of £35,000 on something we're not even sure we can sell. We're not supposed to be a business."

Councillor Whittle said it had been turned down by every Market Drayton Town Council committee that had looked at it.

"It's a good idea but we can't afford it," he said. "If you want to invest in it for your shop for £25, it's a bargain.

"If people want this stuff, write a letter to West Mercia Police's chief constable."