An overgrown stretch of the National Cycle Network near Sourton in West Devon has been cleared by a group of offenders as part of work to repay the community for the wrong they have done.
The offenders, who have all been convicted crimes in the local area, cutback hedges and cleared away vegetation on Route 27 to make the path safer and more accessible for cyclist and wheelchair users.
It is part of Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust's Community Payback Project which is supported by West Devon Borough Council and the South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership.
The offenders worked free of charge on Friday, July 4 and 11 as part of their community sentence.
There is a fee of £160 to cover the Probation Trust's costs, and all the money is reinvested in work to help stop reoffending.
Borough and Devon County Councillor for Okehampton, Cllr Kevin Ball, funded the project from his locality budget.
He said: "This is demanding, unpaid work which not only acts as a means to punish offenders but also gives something back to the community.
"I'm pleased to be able to support this project and hope it will make a difference for users of the cycle route and aid the rehabilitation of the offenders."
It is the second Community Payback Project in West Devon to be completed in recent weeks.
In April, a team of six offenders cleared debris and foliage from a stretch of the cycle path along Old Exeter Road in Tavistock.
More than 200,000 hours of Community Payback are completed every year in Devon and Cornwall which equates to over £1 million of labour provided to local communities as offenders pay back for their crimes.
The Community Safety Partnership is continuing to work with local communities across West Devon to bring forward further Community Payback Projects in the coming months.
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