LOCAL residents have chosen the projects they want offenders to complete to repay the community for their crimes.

The most popular scheme in Middlesbrough was a site in Netherfields, where work included repainting fences and bollards.

In the Redcar and Cleveland area, the top choice out of five initiatives was improvements to a district bordered by Red Lion Street and Lord Street, in Redcar. The votes were carried out online.

Elaine Lumley, from the National Probation Service on Teesside, said: “Working on these projects provides offenders with useful skills to improve their chances of securing employment and to help them to stop offending, resulting in fewer victims of crimes in our local communities.”

Louise Casey, a Government crime and justice advisor, was in Middlesbrough last week observing the scheme in action.

She said: “People want to know that criminals are being made to pay back for their crimes. Hopefully, this will give people confidence that the system is on their side and that punishment can be tough.”