THE man that gave Bromyard its 'Peeping Tom' clock says his time in the town could be up.

Artist Michael Oxenham paints a grim picture of what goes on outside his gallery in The Square - drunkenness, brawling, bawling and vandalism against a backdrop of empty shops.

And from where he stands things are not going to get any better.

Mr Oxenham has told the Town Council so. Warning that after 25 years he may go.

Councillors sympathised.

Members wanted officer strength at the town's police station increased to at least six.

Councillor Bernard Hunt said Herefordshire Council had backed a scheme to bring new shops to The Square.

For Mr Oxenham such measures can't come quickly enough.

"I wonder how many others trying to make a living in the town feel the same way. What are we getting for our money?"

Mr Oxenham's automaton clock was unveiled in The Square in 2000. On the hour a nude painter's model drops the fan protecting her modesty as a 'Peeping Tom' pops up from behind an easel.