A PRIVACY row has erupted after a Dawlish businessman launched a new online venture allowing members of the public to monitor CCTV footage of shops from their own homes.

Tony Morgan, of Dawlish, has launched Internet Eyes, a website which involves people watching live feeds from shop camera systems looking for would-be criminals.

Anyone who catches someone committing a crime can be eligible for a prize of up to £1,000.

But outspoken civil rights campaigner Peter Harry condemned the service saying it would encourage ‘Big Brother-style snooping’.

Dawlish resident Mr Harry believes there are serious privacy implications. Mr Harry is a well-known campaigner who exposed flaws in the legality of speed restrictions on the A379 Starcross road in 2006.

He said: “This is obviously a form of snooping and I think it would encourage a ’spying’ element. I find that very concerning.”

He said, according to the Government’s Information Commissioner’s Office, CCTV operators are not allowed to disclose images of identifiable people to the media or to put them on the internet for ‘entertainment’.

Mr Harry added: “I think more research needs to be done on this.”

Internet Eyes has been created by Mr Morgan along with David Steele and James Woodward.

It is not yet being used in South Devon but is being launched in Stratford-upon-Avon where Mr Steel and Mr Woodward are based. It is hoped it will be rolled out across the country later this year.

Concerned Dawlish Mayor Geoff Wills dubbed it a legal minefield.

He said: “In theory it sounds like a good idea but there are so many practicalities and legalities to think about. We have a CCTV system here in Dawlish and are very mindful of the Data Protection Act and privacy.

“I am sure the company has thought about all that. How do they monitor who is being monitored? What about children? It’s full of potential minefields.”

Internet Eyes is a chargeable service for businesses and shops. Shop owners pay £20 per week, or £1,000 a year, to have their CCTV wired up to the site.

Cameras show CCTV images in real-time with different scenes being shown on rotation every 20 minutes. Viewers can click a button every time they see something suspicious taking place.

Points are awarded to people and the top earners in a ‘league table’ stand the chance of winning up to £1,000 in a prize pool fund.

Mr Morgan refuted claims Internet Eyes would encourage snooping, saying their legal advisers had given the service the go ahead.

He said it was not entertainment but a tool for crime-fighting.

He said: “Internet Eyes has been set up to reduce shoplifting and street crime in this country.

“We are just helping small shop keepers who can’t be watching their CCTV systems 24/7. We are not doing anything wrong.

“We think it will be”