ONLY seven out of 10 crooks are complying with community punishment orders handed down by the courts, new figures out today reveal.

But the report shows Lancashire Probation Service is coming down hard on criminals who don't carry out their orders.

Across the county, 72 per cent of offenders fully complied with community punishment orders from October 2003 to 2004. That is two per cent above the national target.

Of those who breached orders, 92 per cent were sent back to court for further punishment or put in jail, according to the annual Probation Service report.

The document shows that across the county, a total of 6,362 offenders were under the supervision of the service last year, with more than 2,000 on rehabilitation orders and 777 on licence release from prison, at a cost of £20,000 of public money.

Judges ordered 205,026 hours of community service yet only 129,878 of these were completed.

Work with victims of serious sexual assaults and violent crime was improved from the previous year with 85 per cent of victims contacted within eight weeks of sentencing of their attacker.

During the year the service piloted ab approach to cutting re-offending with a programme which sees prolific young adult offenders attending a programme for 25 hours a week.

So far 50 offenders sentenced to the programme have responded well and it is being extended nationally.

To reduce drug-related crimes, 246 offenders began drug treatment and testing orders - 38 per cent more than the previous year.

One man who was given such an order said the programme helped him kick the drugs once and for all after previously failing two drug treatment and testing orders.

The 28-year-old, who was sentenced to 18 months for burglary after turning to crime to fund his drug addiction, said: "I have ended nine and a half years of drugs and I have changed. I have got a whole new start."

Lancashire Probation Board chief officer John Crawforth said: "This year we made further strides forward in improving enforcement practice, in encouraging courts to make effective use of a widening range of community sentences and in meeting our responsibilities towards those who have been the victims of crime."