Justice Minister David Hanson has presented two schemes in Harrow with prestigious gold awards as part of the Capital Clean Up Campaign - a partnership between organisations, including councils and the police to improve the local environment in London.
One scheme involved young offenders cleaning up a disused railway line that runs from Christchurch Road to Belmont underpass.
They cleared the track of debris and flytipping, and cut bushes back. The other was an initiative where young offenders removed graffiti from the walls outside a gym at Byron Recreation ground, next to the skate park, and cleared up the surrounding areas.
Teams of up to eight young people worked on both schemes over a period of four months. It was part of an initiative called Community Payback, in which probation worked with the local council and safer neighbourhood teams to clean up areas.
Councillor Susan Hall said: "Some people mistakenly regard Community Payback as a soft option. This shows that, to the contrary, young people who have broken the law are being made to contribute to their neighbourhood through extremely worthwhile schemes."
Community Payback forms part of Harrow's Week of Action initiatives, which run throughout the year and concentrate on cleaning up specific areas of the borough. The next week will target Harrow town centre from July 14-19.
