Three groups of alleged shoplifters are being processed by police after being tracked through Grantham and Stamford by CCTV operated by South Kesteven District Council.

The teamwork between the council's CCTV Control Room staff, local Shoplink members and the police has come in for praise.

Sgt Dan McCormack tweeted: "Great work by South Kesteven CCTV again, who identified two males acting suspiciously in Grantham.

"Officers attended and arrested both on suspicion of being in possession of stolen goods. Both offenders charged with multiple offences and remanded for court."

SKDC Cabinet Member for Commercial and Operations, Cllr Dr Peter Moseley, said: "This is another great example of the effectiveness of our CCTV and our partnerships across the district.

"The cameras give residents peace of mind and help our partners in law enforcement to increase public safety and reduce crime across the wider area.

"Although this service is not a statutory provision, we are committed to operating it for the benefit of the public and will continue to work in partnership with the police and our communities in tackling crime."

SKDC operates more than 70 cameras covering public open spaces in Grantham, Stamford, Bourne and The Deepings. They are monitored round-the-clock.

A spokesperson for the CCTV monitoring team said: "Boots reported to us that some suspects had left the premises, so we reviewed the footage and were able to alert all the shops with a description via the local Shoplink radio service for local business. Goods were recovered worth over £750."

The second incident involved two men seen walking through Stamford town centre, struggling to carry a heavy bag. One suspect was arrested.

Then this week, two further suspects were seen in WHSmith in Grantham apparently clearing the shelves of chocolate into a bag for life before escaping.

"After we alerted the police and put a message out via Shoplink, we checked the footage and police were able to arrest two people."