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Criminals to clean Darwen landmarks

6:40pm Saturday 6th February 2010 in


CRIMINALS will be used to end a two-year saga over 'shabby' Darwen landmarks.

In December 2007, Blackburn with Darwen Council promised to spruce up old industrial machines forming the Darwen Heritage Trail, but still nothing has been done.

The machines, including a steam engine and paper compression machine in Bolton Road, have fallen into disrepair, covered in rust, dirt, and hundreds of cigarette ends.

Now the council has said that the Community Payback Team will start work shortly to spruce up the landmarks.

Former council worker Michael Firth from Cross Barn, Darwen, has been pushing for the repairs to be done.

He said: “It’s taken long enough, but I’m glad that after two years of complaining, something is finally being done.

“I just hope that the people of Darwen whose relatives worked these machines are happy.

“I think once these shabby landmarks get renovated it will give a much better impression to the visitors of this town.”

Director for regeneration and environment, Peter Hunt, said: "The community payback scheme is aimed at making offenders give something back to the community.

“These are key landmarks in Darwen which are of great significance to the people and visitors to the town.

“They are in need of refurbishment and it is a perfect opportunity for offenders to complete a project which is for the benefit of so many others. People will certainly be able to see the results of their handy work."

Last year Lancashire Probabtion Service supervised around 3,000 low-level offenders doing Community Payback, working a total of over 225,000 hours helping communities.

This equates to approximately £1.2million of free labour as offenders pay back for the crimes they have committed.

Comments(14)

SOS101 says...
12:33am Sun 7 Feb 10

Excelllent programme for a number of reasons. The offenders get to do something of value for themselves and the community that they have attacked through their crimes. There is an improvement made that all can feel happy abou the town. Much money is saved by having offenders pay back in labour and no costs of housing them in prison where nothing is achieved.

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Davidoff says...
2:59am Sun 7 Feb 10

I am sure there is no lack of criminals in Darwen, those already caught or not. Plenty of wannabe gangs roaming, ferally and menacingly round the streets. Bizarrely they seem to want to attack passing traffic like in some Stephen King movie. But, no, plenty of them in Darwen, so you will not go short for labour. As to housing them in prison, I think some deserve to have the lock, padlock and key broken, left to rot. If you get rid of the anti-social ones from Darwen, the that WILL make it a town to be proud of, until then can just spit in the wind for all the good it'll do. You remove the rot, the weeds (pun on purpose) the town can begin to grow, thrive again. If you knew the area, you'd appreciate this fact.

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Darwen Tower says...
8:17am Sun 7 Feb 10

I agree this is a good idea but why get these people to clear up the cigarette ends? These have all been left by the employees who work in India Mill - why not force them or their employers to clean up? The employers seem to enforce the rule of employees must completely leave the premises to smoke. Why doesn't one of our esteeemed councillors or our local mp take up the baton and force the employers to do something about this. At least then the offenders may have time to be deployed in other areas of the town needing attention. I wonder if one of them is any good at planning roads?

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district01 says...
4:07pm Sun 7 Feb 10

A very good idea. Especially in choosing something heavy!

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CapitaBackHander says...
4:11pm Sun 7 Feb 10

For years Capita TV Licensing numpties have thrown fag ends on that 'machine'. Capita should have been forced to refurb this BUT how can the council/Capita force itself to do something?

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blackburn south says...
6:21pm Sun 7 Feb 10

Darwen Tower wrote:
I agree this is a good idea but why get these people to clear up the cigarette ends? These have all been left by the employees who work in India Mill - why not force them or their employers to clean up? The employers seem to enforce the rule of employees must completely leave the premises to smoke. Why doesn't one of our esteeemed councillors or our local mp take up the baton and force the employers to do something about this. At least then the offenders may have time to be deployed in other areas of the town needing attention. I wonder if one of them is any good at planning roads?
Who cares about fag ends?
Get a life!!!

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Bevo says...
7:46pm Sun 7 Feb 10

cleaning up fag ends is too good for the scum who commit crime, i think they should follow all the workers in Darwen and clean up after them, at least they would be to busy to rob my home and when they have finished they could clean all the dog muck up so i can walk to my job without getting it all on my shoes!!!! i don't smoke or work at india mill, but i do work full time and dread going home at night in case the scum have been robbing my house!! keep them busy they get enough money from us tax payers!!!!!

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CapitaBackHander says...
11:16pm Sun 7 Feb 10

Bevo wrote:
cleaning up fag ends is too good for the scum who commit crime, i think they should follow all the workers in Darwen and clean up after them, at least they would be to busy to rob my home and when they have finished they could clean all the dog muck up so i can walk to my job without getting it all on my shoes!!!! i don't smoke or work at india mill, but i do work full time and dread going home at night in case the scum have been robbing my house!! keep them busy they get enough money from us tax payers!!!!!
I doubt that type of criminal will be doing community service. More likely non payment of fines, driving offences criminal damage.

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happycyclist says...
9:37am Mon 8 Feb 10

I think it's a good idea to make the scum restore this. And when they've finished it and they're all proud little bunnies, getting their photos taken and certificates for their good work, someone should go and spray their name all over it, stub their cigarettes out on it, chuck a WKD bottle at it, etc -so they know what it's like to work towards something and be proud of that work, and then have it ruined by scumbags.

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Mikeee47 says...
12:18pm Mon 8 Feb 10

Brill Idea, they should get these on a national scheme, based on the old chain gang, save the councils endless money, street cleaners, drain cleaning, dog **** cleaning,the list is endless.
and they would be in the public eye with bibs on. so we all know what they are.
Will it happen, Not in this country it won't because we're too busy givin them rights and a nice warm bed with 4 squares a day.
what happend to community pay back? with all the crimes reported in this rag, you should see the streets full of pay backers, was it just mor spin?
food for thought

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Jo at Ministry of Justice says...
4:28pm Mon 8 Feb 10

The Darwen landmarks project is a really positive example of Community Payback. If you have any other good ideas for Community Payback in your area, you can nominate projects on www.direct.gov.uk/co
mmunitypayback

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amazed says...
4:47pm Mon 8 Feb 10

If you really want to see Darwen at its worst just go round Hindle Street, (Half demolished) Green Street (Flats demolished, Queen Street, (demolished) This is a restoration area and some houses on Hindle Street and Harwood Street have been renovated but how long is it going to be before the wide open spaces are built on? Weeds are already growing a plenty in Hindle Street and no doubt all the gardens around will get some. What a programme....

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time.team says...
5:15pm Mon 8 Feb 10

To Jo at Ministry of Justice, London: Yes, get Jack Straw to bring one of his jackets along to wear and help out!

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CapitaBackHander says...
3:09pm Wed 10 Feb 10

amazed wrote:
If you really want to see Darwen at its worst just go round Hindle Street, (Half demolished) Green Street (Flats demolished, Queen Street, (demolished) This is a restoration area and some houses on Hindle Street and Harwood Street have been renovated but how long is it going to be before the wide open spaces are built on? Weeds are already growing a plenty in Hindle Street and no doubt all the gardens around will get some. What a programme....
I prefer the open space! Why would you want them to build houses and fill them with neighbours from hell.

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