JUST who was watching the night the Hole In The Wall Gang struck at three Gillingham High Street banks within a few minutes?

Nothing was seen by any of the eight council-installed and monitored CCTV cameras when a large JCB digger was driven along the deserted pedestrianised zone, and was then used to attack three different banks one Monday night in January.

The police investigation into the raids is now being accompanied by a political row over who was to blame.

Cllr Reh Chishti (Lab) said at a council meeting on Thursday night: "Can the council give an assurance that the CCTV was working and operating? If it was not then it is the council and not the police that are to blame."

His question was not answered.

When the effectiveness of the CCTV system was questioned by Cllr Glyn Griffith (Lab), Conservative Cllr Diane Chambers said: "Who is the principal law enforcement authority? - it is the police. It is not the fault of Medway Council."

She added: "There were people in the CCTV Centre on the night and that information has been passed to the police."

Cllr Angela Prodger (Con), the cabinet member responsible for community safety, told the council: "Two arrests have been made. Other information is available but as the police investigation is ongoing we cannot discuss it in this chamber at this time."

Supt Stella Mercer, head of Medway Police, later said on television that police were informed by a resident that the raids were taking place, and took eight minutes to get to the scene, but the gang had fled.

The potential loss was over a million pounds, but in the event the gang only succeeded in ripping out one cash machine.

It is thought the camera nearest the banks was not working.