Britons are being watched by a network of 1.85 million security video, the vast majority of which are run by private companies, according to the first large-scale audit of surveillance cameras conducted in the world.

The number is equivalent to one for every 32 people in the UK.  

The study by Cheshire police in north-west England, involved community support officers physically counting virtually every camera in the county for the past two years and extrapolating the results for the UK, taking into account rural and urban differences.