BRITISH children on holiday in Portugal's Algarve are still ?wide open? to another Madeleine McCann-style abduction because authorities refuse to install CCTV.

Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry have long believed a camera network in the region may have helped prevent her disappearance or helped in the search.

Despite a campaign to have a CCTV network covering the Algarve holiday resorts, officials say they cannot justify the cost.

Now there are fears that without the deterrent another child could be snatched.

Former Algarve tourism chief Antonio Pina said: ?For many years I have been fighting for CCTV in the Algarve as this would help the situation of increasing the police presence and creating a better feeling of security.

?Unfortunately, I have found that those in authority have a very small mentality when it comes to introducing this measure.

?This is a simple answer and it is crazy that it has not already been brought in.?

In the UK there are more than 4.2million CCTV cameras capturing each person up to 300 times a day. Portugal's lack of cameras has meant that in the four years since she vanished from Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, Madeleine has not

been caught on film once.

Doctors Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leics, believe their daughter, who was just three when she disappeared, may have been found had there been greater CCTV coverage.

The couple's spokesman Clarence Mitchell said: ?Kate and Gerry would welcome the idea of greater surveillance in areas like that where families are on holiday.?