A THIRD break-in at Tavistock Pannier Market and last week?s stalling of a project to install CCTV has sparked an urgent request for an extraordinary meeting of the town council.

The break-in occurred on Friday night, when about £30 worth of goods was stolen from one of the stalls.

Market reeve Eddie Carruthers said the locks on the market doors had recently been changed and there was no sign of a forced entry.

He said: ?We can?t see how they got in or out ? but if we had cameras we could have done.

?The worrying thing isn?t so much the theft, it?s what could happen if someone got in here and started a fire. I?m very worried, very concerned about it ? at least if we had cameras it would be a deterrent.?

The recent break-in has confirmed fears held by Cllr Mandy Govier and Cllr Brian Trew, the chair and vice-chair of the council?s pannier market committee. They have asked the mayor to convene an extraordinary meeting of the council to discuss security issues on the premises.

Cllr Govier said: ?We have to back up our staff. They?re the ones that have to put up with flack from traders and members of the public. This is now the third break-in, it?s not on, we have to provide some sort of security.

Cllr Trew said the council had a duty to the traders, the market reeve and his deputy and to the ratepayers of Tavistock to take any action necessary to secure the market and ?protect an asset which currently significantly reduces the town precept?.

Traders in the market requested the cameras in February, following two break-ins in the space of a few weeks. Some told the pannier market committee that their insurance companies would not accept any claims because there were no forms of security in the market, like alarms or CCTV.

But councillors at last week?s meeting of the full council were concerned that quotes received by the clerk did not appear to offer comparable levels of services, making it difficult to form a decision on the best option.

Cllr Jane Ramsey pointed out that CCTV, although ?fine? as a deterrent, needed constant monitoring to be properly effective and was limited to the specific areas covered by the cameras. She suggested security alarms were relatively cheap, effective and easy to install.

Cllr Alison Clish-Green said alternatives should be considered. Cllr Peter Jones said as landlord, councillors wanted traders to have peace of mind, but £5,000 was ?a lot of money? to spend without careful thought.

The town clerk was asked to investigate security issues further, and report back to the next meeting of the pannier market committee. It is not yet known when the extraordinary council meeting will be held.