CRIMINALS have been put to work tidying up messy parts of Wycombe as part of a newly-launched community payback scheme.

Birdcage Walk and Castle Street Memorial Gardens in the town centre have become well-known for becoming magnets for litter and anti-social behaviour.

Now offenders have been carrying out unpaid work clearing up the town and scrubbing off unsightly graffiti to tackle the problem.

Those who end up in court can end up with a 'community payback' order for offences that don't warrant prison time.

The individuals can then find themselves having to carry out between 40 to 300 hours of unpaid work - or up to seven-and-a-half working weeks for free.

The offenders are escorted to and from work sites, operate in small groups, and are overseen by qualified supervisors. Typical projects, such as those happening here in High Wycombe, include removing graffiti, clearing wasteland, enhancing public spaces and picking up litter.

Melanie Williams, chief executive of Wycombe Business Improvement District, an organisation paid-for by local firms to support the area, said: “This scheme directly tackles some of the frustrating ‘grot spots’ that often get ignored due to disparate ownership and we are delighted to be able to make visible improvements.

"We are grateful for the collaboration with a hard-working group of officers and businesses who form the Town Centre Partnership - which seeks results on the ground but also to build up a solution-focused relationship infrastructure for the town centre that facilitates pride in place and supports town centre regeneration."

A new 'community payback' scheme has been launched by High Wycombe Business Improvement District. The organisation is funded by local businesses and works alongside the council to carry out tasks to improve the town.

A spokesman for High Wycombe Business Improvement District said: "We have been working with Buckinghamshire Council, the police and other stakeholders through our ‘Town Centre Partnership’ group to identify key areas of the town where there are repeat issues that often occur on both public and private land and therefore require detailed collaboration to resolve.

"The project, provides a sense of ‘circular justice’, deters repeat offending and has an obvious and visible positive impact for residents and visitors to High Wycombe, enlivening previously tired and mistreated areas to once again be welcoming community environments."

A popular BBC television show has recently followed the fictional tale of seven unlikely convicts forced together to complete a community payback scheme. The Outlaws, starring Stephen Merchant, is currently on iPlayer and offers a wry view of such schemes.