AT the Spar shop in Caerleon Road, Newport, ten-year-old Ellen Counsell said: "It is just like a long high-pitched beep."

She lives in nearby Heather Road and often visits the store with her parents.

"It can be a bit uncomfortable if my mum stops to talk to someone. But I don't think it affects my rights.

"You can get used to it after a bit, anyway."

Her mother, Rachel, said she thought the machine was a good idea. She said: "I think if it is working then it should be kept. It is much better here now than it was before. It seems silly to get rid of it."

The supervisor on duty at the Spar last night was dismayed to learn the device might have to be switched off. Theresa Kershaw had hoped the device was to remain.

"The older people used to feel intimidated. They didn't like walking past all the youths who gathered outside," she said. "It is much better now. We will miss it if it goes."