YOUNG offenders in Bury and elsewhere in Greater Manchester are having to atone for their actions under a pioneering restorative justice scheme.

And in some cases, this has meant the youngsters apologising in person to their victims and carrying out repairs to damage they caused.

One year on, the initiative has shown some promising results according to the Greater Manchester Youth Justice Trust.

All young people who have committed crime now have to look long and hard at how their actions have affected the lives of others.

Restorative justice can operate in many ways but key features are:

Contacting and talking to victims of offences in all cases

Working with the young person to make them understand the consequences of their actions

If appropriate, arranging a meeting between the young person and victim to let the young person apologise in person Working out how the young person can further make amends.

Bury has been involved in the restorative justice scheme. Cases include youngsters, who daubed walls, having to clean the graffiti off themselves.

For many victims, an apology either in person or by letter is enough. Most young people also carry out some form of "payback" to further compensate society.

In Greater Manchester, there has been a huge amount of work carried out involving youngsters carrying out duties in local parks, churches, supermarkets, bus companies and riding for the disabled.

In Bury, teenagers have been helping clear land at an allotments site.

Andrew Bailey, the co-ordinator for restorative justice attached to Greater Manchester Youth Justice Trust, said: "Research carried out so far shows that victims appreciate and value this way of working and that it helps them to come to terms with what has happened to them.

"Young people have been shown to be more remorseful and less likely to re-offend."

Typical restorative justice cases involve apologising and paying for damage, direct "fixing" the damage, putting something back and writing about remorse.

The Youth Justice Trust is an independent charity which brings agencies together to tackle youth crime. Its work focuses on information, innovation and facilitation.

Youth offending teams, one of which operates in Bury, are responsible for working with young people to prevent offending.