A machete wielding maniac has been arrested on a busy shopping street after being spotted by eagle-eyed CCTV operators.

The council's CCTV control room spotted a man acting suspiciously on King Street, in Hammersmith, earlier this month.

When the man was tracked, images revealed a large knife concealed under the man's clothing.

Police were immediately dispatched to the shop where the man had dumped his massive blade.

The man was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and is expected to appear in court later this week.

The news comes as the borough's top cop, Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley, backed a new council scheme to put in more CCTV cameras on a Fulham estate.

Chief Superintendent Hurley praised the state-of-the-art surveillance system as a major help to his officers.

He said: "Criminals such as drug dealers, robbers and vandals do not like CCTV.

"They know the cameras make it more risky for them to carry out their selfish behavior.

"CCTV has proven to be a real asset in helping us to identify offenders and bring them to justice."

A recent probe shows the council's network of 171 cameras are leading to more than 50 arrests per month.

An average month sees more than 200 incidents captured on the council's network - which can also link into 80 other cameras that are owned by other organisations.

Councillor Greg Smith, cabinet member for crime and street scene, said: "CCTV makes the criminal minority think twice about committing crime as it dramatically increases their chances of being caught and punished.

"In many cases CCTV helps the Police to make arrests on the spot.

"In others, the images are used as valuable evidence to generate later convictions."

The council has recently announced a £150,000 CCTV upgrade for the Fulham Court Estate.

More than 40 new cameras are set to be installed in the estate, off Shottendane Road, in a move that will see the whole estate covered by CCTV.

Like many in the council's network, the hi-tech cameras will allow the council's 24/7 CCTV control room to follow suspicious individuals before beaming the images live to the police.

Coun Smith added: "Every hour of every day CCTV is helping to turn the tables on the lowlifes that prey on the law abiding majority."