CONVICTED offenders are helping cut crime by building a new shelter in a troubled part of Rossendale.

The shelter is designed to give youngsters a place to congregate away from residents who raised concerns about juvenile nuisance and anti-social behaviour on the Staghills Estate, Newchurch.

And the Probation Service has revealed that convicted offenders on community punishment orders will be building the shelter off Dark Lane.

They have started clearing the site and will complete their hours of voluntary work erecting the shelter and fitting internal fixtures. So far 30 men and women have worked a total 350 hours on the project.

PC Denise Barlow said: "Seeing offenders serve their sentence by contributing positively to the community adds to the success of this unique crime-cutting project.

"The youth shelter will be an excellent new amenity that everyone agrees is both much needed and will improve the community's environment and safety."

Lorraine Slater, the Probation Service's community pay back' practice manager, added: "We supervise offenders so they pay back' to local communities for the harm caused by their offending.

"It's a practical demonstration of a tough sentence imposed by the court as a punishment for crime and it enables offenders to benefit the public, make reparation and gain work experience and skills to find employment, thus reducing re-offending."

The shelter idea was put forward at a public meeting attended by more than 150 people.

Youngsters also attended and asked for somewhere to hang out.

Now, six months later work has started on the project co-ordinated by PC Barlow and the Probation Service's supervisor Bryan Wilson.

The land was donated by Rossendale United and club director Steve Hobson said: "We are keen to be good neighbours and that is why we offered this land to build a youth shelter for young people on the estate. Community cohesion is the way forward and it works. "