Can you REALLY use a nanny cam to spy on your babysitter like in Netflix's Fool Me Once?

Netflix's newest hit drama, Fool Me Once, has left viewers hooked with its plot twists and gripping storyline.

However, one aspect from the eight-part series has stuck in fans' minds - the use of the nanny cam.

It comes after the main character, widow Maya Stern played by Michelle Keegan, sees a recording of her dead husband on the surveillance device she was using to spy on her nanny.

Childcare CCTV has become a hot topic since the series premiered on New Year's Day, leaving some parents wondering if they should invest in one themselves.

MailOnline spoke to law and surveillance experts to find out everything you need to know and if you can really use one to keep an eye on your babysitter.

On Netflix's Fool Me Once, widow Maya Stern played by Michelle Keegan, sees a recording of her dead husband on the surveillance device she was using to spy on her nanny

Are nanny cams legal in the UK?  

There is often confusion about the legality of using a nanny cam as CCTV within your home.

However, surveillance devices including nanny cams are completely legal in the UK as long as you follow a few strict rules - if you don't, you could easily find yourself on the wrong side of law.

As long as the cameras do not cover beyond the boundaries of your property your system will be exempt from the Data Protection Act and registration with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) won't be necessary.

But, there are a number of important guidelines to abide by, even with domestic CCTV that only covers your home. 

What are the rules regarding nanny cams in the UK? 

The most important rule is that you need to tell the nanny and any other guests in your home about the camera and that they are being recorded.

Secondly, you cannot put the camera in a private area such as the nanny's bedroom or a bathroom.

In the TV show, the camera is hidden within a picture frame in her child's playroom.

Childcare CCTV has become a hot topic since the series premiered on New Year's Day, leaving some parents wondering if they should invest in one themselves

Although it's not necessarily a private room and the location of the camera wouldn't need to be disclosed, Maya would have legally had to tell the nanny she was being recorded, which viewers don't see happen in the show.

Security expert Steve Wood, managing director of Able Investigations and Enforcements, explains: 'You don't have to have a data protection licence for a nanny cam. 

'So if you wanted to put one in a baby's room or something like that, providing you tell the nanny and providing you tell others who are in the house that it's there, you don't have to register with the Information Commissioner's office'.

Steve clarifies that, 'providing you tell the nanny or guests that are coming to see the baby that there is a camera there, and it is recording, you're not breaking any laws.

'The short and sweet answer is, yes, you can get them - no, they're not illegal, providing you put everything openly, and you tell the people that are going in that there's a nanny cam in there. 

'You tell them it is recording to a disk or a cloud, but you're only doing it to protect you, the family and the baby'.

Steve also says it's essential to put up a sign to let neighbours know that the recording is taking place.

What if the camera is recording outside of the property boundary? 

The ICO's official website reads that if you are capturing recordings from outside your property boundary, using a CCTV camera or a fixed doorbell, you need to:

• Tell people that you are using recording equipment

• In most circumstances, provide some of the recording if asked by a person whose images have been captured

• Regularly or automatically delete footage

• In most circumstances, delete recordings of people if they ask and stop recording a person if they object to being recorded, but only if it is possible to do so. For example, if they can point the camera in a different direction but still use it for the same purposes, eg keeping their property safe