Service users on Community Payback have been praised for helping residents in East Marsh, Grimsby, for their work in cleaning up the Fat Alleys in the area which had become blocked by fly tippers.

Grimsby’s East Marsh is one of the most deprived wards in England with significant poverty indicators and problems of low educational attainment, low employment, high numbers of lone parents, high in-work and pensioner poverty.

East Marsh United, a community group of residents of East Marsh asked Humberside Lincolnshire & North Yorkshire CRC (HLNY CRC) and the Community Payback team for their ongoing support in cleaning up the area.

Earlier this month offenders on Community Payback and residents cleaned out the Fat Alley’s back alleys – and what a job it was.

One resident, Lee, said: ““Thanks so much to the lads from Community Payback, who were just phenomenal. Thanks to Stan at the local Chippie for donated lunches. Thanks especially to Newlincs for sponsoring us and for Biffa for being so great at supplying a huge skip – which wasn’t quite enough, so we’re going to have to get another for the big stuff we left neatly stacked and ready to go.”

Community Payback in Lincolnshire is managed by HLNY CRC and aims to rehabilitate offenders through working on projects, nominated by members of the public, that benefit the community.

Paul Sturton, Community Payback manager, said: “HLNY CRC and East Marsh United work closely in partnership deploying offenders on Community Payback on several projects across the town.

“Our work in East Marsh is a good example of how service users can put something back into the community while learning essential work and life skills which will improve their chances of employment.”

*The Community Payback Team in Humberside, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire would like to hear about other projects which residents think will make a real difference to their community. Nominate a project for Community Payback