A team of crime-fighting council officers and police will soon start wearing cameras on their high-vis uniforms.

Police say it will help officers to gather evidence and protect them, but a human rights group has warned cameras could also be highly intrusive surveillance tools.

Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley, an advocate of zero tolerance, is issuing the equipment to Reigate and Banstead’s joint enforcement team.

Mr Hurley said he has bought the cameras for the 20-strong team in order to "gather evidence of what's going on and provide an element of safety for them."

He said: "When a person is playing up and being unpleasant, you point to the camera and they go 'I'm being recorded. I don't want my mum or my wife to see this.' They soon shut their mouths."

The joint enforcement team tackle everything from fly tipping and neighbours from hell, to illegal parking on pavements and anti-social behaviour.

Of the council officers who work as part of the team, Mr Hurley said: "They look fairly similar to police. They give a reassuring presence on the streets to the public. They also enable us to use the council powers."

He said Spelthorne now also has a joint enforcement team and they hope to set up a team in Elmbridge by the autumn, adding: "Epsom and Ewell Borough have looked at it closely".

But human rights group Liberty has raised concerns over the use of body cameras by the team in Reigate and Banstead.

Bella Sankey, director of policy, said: "As this worrying development shows, the use of body-worn cameras is speeding ahead, while regulation lags behind and practice across the country varies wildly.

"While they may be a useful tool for monitoring sensitive operations, such as the deployment of firearms officers, they also have the potential to be highly intrusive surveillance tools - especially when teamed with evolving technologies like facial recognition and the sprawling growth in police databases.

"We urgently need a proper public debate and national standards."