SPY cameras which residents claim are targeting Muslims in the West Midlands could soon sweep Britain, it is feared.
Campaigners last week won their battle to have 216 "terror" cameras covered up after complaining they were being used to spy on Muslims rather than prevent crime.
Protest leader Steve Jolly is convinced the cameras, a third of which were hidden in trees and lampposts, will be back.
Mr Jolly, a public relations officer, said yesterday: "This will spread across the whole country and I've heard rumours that a similar spy scheme is in operation in Leeds and Bradford."
He was instrumental in getting the authorities to halt the surveillance in the Birmingham districts of Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook, which are predominantly Muslim.
Plastic bags have temporarily been placed over the CCTV and automatic number plate recognition cameras, and consultation over their use will begin on Tuesday.
Mr Jolly, 40, who has a camera 200 yards from his home, said: "They sneakily put up the cameras and hoped no one would find out. They have been covered up, not removed.
"About 50,000 people have had their streets saturated with cameras, making it impossible to get in or out without being tracked. It's a gross invasion of privacy. We do want to be protected against terrorism, but this is the wrong way to do it."
The cameras were installed by the Safer Birmingham Project, a partnership of police, the city council and other agencies, which said it had received £3million from the Home Office.
It has since emerged that the cash had come through the Terrorism and Allied Matters fund, administered by the Association of Chief Police Officers.
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