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.