Privacy campaigners said ringing a doorbell was not consent to be filmed

Google is bringing doorbells equipped with facial-recognition cameras to Britain’s suburbs, raising concerns about invasion of privacy.

Nest Labs, a Google subsidiary, claims that the artificial intelligence (AI) used by its Hello device makes video doorbells from rivals such as Amazon look “like dumbbells”.

As with other internet-connected bells, the £230 system detects visitors as they approach the house and streams footage to the owner’s phone. Unlike the competition, users who pay a subscription of £4 a month can programme their doorbell to recognise their friends and family members.

For deliveries, busy owners can play messages like: “You can leave it, thanks”

In addition to ringing inside the property as normal, the bell can send voice or text notifications to owners’ Google Home speakers or smartphones to let them know that a named acquaintance or a stranger is