THE husband of a teacher who was followed by Caerphilly County Borough Council is seeking his own legal advice against them for ‘failing to take accountability’ for the surveillance – which also kept a watch on him.

Kevin Shaw, from Blackwood, is not employed by the local authority, but he was followed by Blackwood-based Conquest Surveillance Services as part of an exercise to see if his wife, Kim, on sick leave at the time, was meeting him away from their home.

Following a complaint, Mr Shaw received an apology from the council for any ‘intrusion’ he felt. But he said that “did not go far enough”.

“I was invited to go for a meeting but at the same time they told me they maintain the surveillance was justified, so what is the point?” Mr Shaw said.

“I do not believe the council acted proportionately in this case and there needs to be accountability for what happened.”

The surveillance of Mr and Mrs Shaw was carried out over a three-day period in 2010, costing £3,600.

Mr Shaw says he was followed driving his wife towards Ystrad Mynach before returning home alone.

He added: “At the end of the day a serious amount of public money has been spent on this issue.

“The council treated the surveillance like a shiny new toy.

“The matter has since taken over our lives. It’s been a nightmare.”

Mrs Shaw, who has previously said she felt ‘violated’ when she found out about the surveillance from a Freedom of Information request, called the fact her husband was followed “frightening”.

“It’s shocking enough that I was followed, but the fact they were so desperate to find something against me, a teacher of 34 years with an unblemished record and an excellent attendance record, that they would follow my husband too, is quite disturbing.”

Leader of Caerphilly Council, Councillor Harry Andrews, said: “Of course, we regret the distress caused to both Mr and Mrs Shaw and their family by the surveillance carried out by our council in 2010. But since Labour took leadership of the council last year, we have introduced stronger controls of all staff surveillance activity.”

Mr Shaw said he was considering taking the matter to the information tribunal.

Mrs Shaw is currently awaiting the result of an employment tribunal after being dismissed from Pontllanfraith Comprehensive School in 2012.