A West Kilbride salon owner has called for more CCTV in the village after her business was broken into for the second time.

Helen Armstrong, who owns a salon in Ritchie Street, was forced to pay £800 for the damage and new locks after a thief smashed their way in looking for cash on May 10.

The intruder was caught on CCTV looking for something in the premises, with a smashed door in the background. 

Helen, who has run the salon for two decades, has issued an urgent plea for more cameras in the village after the shocking incident left her out of pocket.

She said: “Everywhere else has cameras and we have nothing, even though we spend tens of thousands on local businesses.

“There’s been so much grant money to do up the shopfronts, but the fact there are no cameras is a real issue.

“I’ve been here for 20 years and have been broken into more times than I can count, so something needs to be done.

“If we had street cameras we would be able to see the guy walking about before he gets to the salon and it would be easier to catch him.”

Helen believes businesses are on edge in the village over the incident, and insists cameras would make them feel safer.

She explained: “We can spend money on stupid things but having cameras would make business owners feel at ease.

“You are trying to get people to run their own businesses but if we can’t provide basic things like CCTV then you aren’t going to keep people here.

“I don’t want to reach the point where I put shutters over the windows and doors, as it would make the village look run down.

“The council have fired a lot of money into the community through the shopfront scheme, but if there is no protection then it’s pointless.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “There is currently no specific funding for additional public space CCTV systems.

“In future, any such proposals would be carefully considered in conjunction with Police Scotland, taking into account the relevant crime statistics and risks identified.”