Criminal cash for local projects

Top of the range cars and helicopters have been seized from criminals

A total of 269 community projects will receive a share of a £4m fund of cash and assets seized from criminals, the Home Office says.

Members of the public cast over 45,000 votes for 1,225 projects to decide who would benefit from the Community Cashback scheme in England and Wales.

Each project must plan to tackle criminal or anti-social behaviour.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "It is only right that criminals are made to pay back for their crimes."

People could vote for the projects online or via neighbourhood policing meetings and citizens' panels.

Youth schemes and sports clubs are among the 269 successful projects which will receive money from the scheme.

COMMUNITY CASHBACK PROJECTS Renovating a burnt out skate park in Brighton Funding an anti-knife crime project in Merseyside schools Opening a cricket club for young people in Newcastle Restoring a derelict churchyard in Sheffield Schemes given cash Community Cashback details

The money in the fund has been raised through the sale of criminal assets, such as yachts and cars, confiscated by police.

Mr Johnson said: "Seizing assets deprives criminals of money, reduces the incentive for crime and promotes fairness and confidence in the criminal justice system."

One of the projects which will receive money is the Roach Valley Raiders mountain bike and BMX club in Heywood, Rochdale.

The club will use its £18,000 share to renovate a derelict BMX track.

Yvonne Roberts, who runs the club, says the funding will make a huge difference.

"The money that we have received will enable us to host a wide and varied range of different cycling activities for all young people to be able to access", she said.

There is already a waiting list of over 60 local children and a similar scheme in Manchester had seen positive community results, she added: "Any decrease in anti-social behaviour has to be a benefit."

Roach Valley Raiders in Rochdale wants to encourage cycling

The government says £148m in assets was seized from criminals using the Proceeds of Crime Act last year.

The previous year the equivalent of £136m was seized in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Until now money recovered from criminals has gone to front line services such as the police and criminal justice system.

The government says the pilot Community Cashback scheme will run for 12 months and it will decide on its future later in the financial year.

A similar scheme already operates in Scotland and one has recently begun in Northern Ireland.