Offenders carried out unpaid work to help tidy up an area of Barking.

Six offenders aged 18 to 40 cleared rubbish, trimmed overgrown bushes, painted fences and covered over graffiti in St Awdry’s Road.

It was part of the Community Payback scheme run by the National Probation Service.

Sentences of between 40 and 300 hours of unpaid work can be handed down by the courts, depending on the severity of the crime and previous offences.

Cllr Margaret Mullane, cabinet member for enforcement and community safety, said: “The community payback scheme works for everyone.

“Our residents can see what these offenders are doing to improve the local community as part of their punishment and rehabilitation, while for those involved it is a way of doing something fulfilling and learning new skills.”

Offenders are supervised and must wear orange high-vis jackets.

The scheme usually involves manual labour such as removing graffiti, cleaning streets, minor building work and painting and decorating.