Perpetrators of anti-social behaviour in Dorset will face swift and visible justice as part of a crackdown announced by the government.

The country has been chosen as an area for a pilot scheme for tackling anti-social behaviour.

Under the plan, offenders - who will be made to wear high-vis vests or jumpsuits and work under supervision - could be made to pick up litter, remove graffiti and wash police cars as punishment for their actions. 

The scheme, named the "immediate justice" scheme, aims for people found to be committing anti-social behaviour (ASB) to be punished quickly and to repair any damage promptly.

Dorset has been selected as one of 10 areas across the UK to pilot the new scheme.

The ambition is for perpetrators to work on fixing damages as soon as 48 hours after their offence.

The plans have split opinion in Dorset with Portland Mayor Pete Roper concerned about them being "headline-grabbing".

He said: "Any initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour has to be workable and achieve the right sort of aims.

"Locally, we need to drill down on what is enabling this behaviour to take place.

"We have had initiatives before that work for a while and then the resources are withdrawn.

"It is reactive, not proactive and we need a consistent approach if we are going to keep a lid on this."

"Plans at a local level to tackle these issues are a lot better than headline-grabbing initiatives."

Portland is an area which has been affected by ASB, with residents reporting cases of street fighting, eggs being hurled and bottles being smashed.

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “I am delighted by the government's new proposals to tackle anti-social behaviour.

"Getting to those who are responsible for bringing the misery of ASB into our towns and villages and having them make reparation, will mean a great deal to the victims and communities of Dorset."

Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset welcomed the proposal by the UK government.

He said: “These measures go a long way to addressing the key policing needs of West Dorset – especially antisocial behaviour, drugs, fly-tipping and litter. I have worked hard to secure the better prioritisation of resources for places like Lyme Regis and Bridport where there have been a number of hotspots and incidents and even arranged to meet the Home Secretary last year to address this problem.”

The scheme is also aiming to give victims of anti-social behaviour from the local community a say in offenders’ punishments.

Les Fry, Dorchester Town Councillor, said: "I welcome this initiative in Dorchester and anywhere in Dorset, anti-social behaviour can be a blight on many lives.

"Any positive action that can help reduce ASB should be welcomed and swift justice should help to educate offenders."

The national plan also sees a ban on nitrous oxide and gives the police more powers to test for drugs on arrest, so more suspected criminals can be tested, and more drugs tested for, including ecstasy and methamphetamine.