Local authorities are using a 'Ripa' act in order to catch illegal traders in the act. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act allows public authorities to film people with secret cameras. For instance, Southampton City Council has used its spying powers 59 times over the past two years to catch people suspected of activities such as illegally selling alcohol to the under-18s and tipping trade waste. Civil liberties groups object to these covert surveillance actions, but councils insist they would not be effective in combating these crimes otherwise.