CRIMINALS should grow vegetables and plant flowers as part of their punishment and to pay their debt to society says Worcester MP Mike Foster.

The Labour MP wants the people of Worcester to literally harvest the health benefits of justice as part of a “Grow your own” community punishment scheme.

He has already discussed his idea with West Mercia Probation Trust and Worcester Community Housing.

Mr Foster is proposing that offenders can be offered community reparation by growing fruit and vegetables for tenants of Worcester Community Housing living in communal blocks or flats.

“I’m a great believer in community restorative justice,” said Mr Foster. “I want local people to see that offenders are being punished, but their punishment is constructive and gives something back to society. As well as improving the environment in these communal areas, growing crops will bring the benefit of giving local people healthy home-grown produce.”

David Chantler, chief executive of West Mercia Probation Trust said: "West Mercia Probation Trust has developed a high profile with our work with care farms and other land based projects. It is good to be able to bring ‘Community Payback’ and offenders working on the land together to benefit the local community.

“This sort of scheme gives us the opportunity to demonstrate offenders paying back in a very visible but also socially valuable way. We are really enthusiastic about the approach and would like to follow this through in Worcester."

Stewart Mountfield, chief executive of Worcester Community Housing, said: “We have been in discussion with Mike Foster and think it’s an excellent initiative and we’re going to do everything we can to support him.”