Long-awaited CCTV cameras are up and running in crime-hit Court Street, to the delight of business owners.

Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton and then-Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith announced the venture to extend coverage to Court Street and Pitts Bay Road last October. The cameras were meant to be in action by January. However, the project hit delays through what Police have described as "challenges" in implementation, including delays with trenches being dug.

Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs Robert Horton said the Court Street cameras had been in place since Friday although they need minor adjustments. The Pitts Bay Road cameras, he said, would be running "very shortly".

Steve Simons, chairman of the Uptown Market Association which is working to revitalise the Court Street area, said: "The atmosphere on the street has changed since the cameras went up. I think one or two individuals have already been apprehended for unsavoury activities. There is a noticeable difference and people are not there apparently distributing illegal substances."

Mr Simons, who is managing director of the Spinning Wheel entertainment complex, said once word spreads about the new sense of security then locals will start directing tourists to Court Street for events such as the live music at his venue on Monday and Tuesday nights.