The taxpayer has paid out almost £2,000 in the last six weeks alone after a Chelmsford village contracted a private security firm to patrol the neighbourhood.

Writtle Parish Council approached S-Type Security to protect the village during the school’s summer holidays as a pilot trial.

Since the middle of August they have undertaken two to three patrols a day between 4pm and 11pm, costing £45 a day, seven-days-a-week.

Writtle Parish Councillor, Peter Cracknell, said: ”We have to be careful they don’t use it to build business for themselves, we don’t want them to become the security of the village.”

Another councillor, Ralph Bray, added: “ I’ve had people say to me that they don’t like the idea of vigilantes on the streets of Writtle, and in my opinion it is exactly that, a vigilante.

Stephen Appleby, who works for S-Type Security, said: “[...] By law I could make a citizen's arrest but generally it doesn’t come to that, I am fully trained, I was in the army and I’m a bodyguard so I can look after myself in most situations.”

A parish council that paid a security firm to keep residents safe has agreed to work more closely with Essex Police.

The force has pledged to step up its Neighbourhood Watch, Special Constabulary and Active Citizens schemes in Writtle, following a meeting with parishioners.