Neighbours who offered to pay for their own CCTV to tackle drug dealing and illegal motorcycle riding are furious at lack of action.

People living in Aubrey Road, Walthamstow have complained about rising crime levels for several years.

They offered to pay for CCTV, but have lost patience after Waltham Forest Council failed to act on their concerns.

Resident James Phillips said: “We have a wonderful community on the street, it’s some of the people passing through.

“People are fed up with it and really angry. We’ve seen drug dealing, motorbikes riding through, dog mess and no one can catch anybody at it because there’s no CCTV.”

Mr Phillips said the issue was brought to a head in September 2017, and the community invited a council officer out to survey the area.

On inspection, the council officer is said to have identified a location where three CCTV cameras could be installed, but emphasised the high cost of doing so.

The estimated cost of the cameras was £2,500. Residents were prepared to provide the money themselves.

Mr Phillips said: “We said we’d pay for it, several residents were happy to contribute. We’re dipping our hands into our pockets and we have the money ourselves.

He added: “This Labour-led council just don’t seem to be interested. Labour are blaming the Tory government for everything, but everyone’s dragging their feet and passing the buck. One department passes it on to another.”

Mr Phillips also blames slashed police numbers for the rise in crime.

He asked: “Where’s the council officer who’s meant to be on the beat every day? The ward officer service is now short on numbers with agency staff being recruited to fill posts.

"The police are doing the best they can with reduced numbers, but a lack of CCTV in the borough limits any follow up action they can take. For example, practically the whole market is devoid of CCTV."

Residents are hoping to elicit some response from the council.

A council spokesman said: “We work with the local police to tackle anti-social behaviour including drug dealing and illegal motorcycle riding using the power available to us, including Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs). This joined-up approach may involve issuing fines or speaking with offenders’ landlords.

“We will review the situation at this location to see where we may be able to further improve our efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour.”