Criminals carried out 1.3 million hours of community payback work in Scotland over 2014-15, it has been revealed.

A new report found the work being carried out by people on community payback orders (CPOs) received a positive response from local communities, with a range of beneficiaries from charity shop staff to elderly residents praising the high standard of work and positive attitude of the offenders.

Teams of people on CPOs have been carrying out work including repairing fallen gravestones, cleaning graffiti from streets and stairwells and helping local charities and groups.

Also, during recent flooding in the north east, the teams supported the clean-up effort in communities.

Justice secretary Michael Matheson launched the report during a visit to Brake the Cycle project in Edinburgh on Thursday as he met offenders reconditioning old bicycles and donating them to schools and community groups.

Mr Matheson said: “It is encouraging to see that the number of CPOs imposed by the courts continues to rise since their introduction five years ago. This report clearly demonstrates that they have a huge impact, both on our local communities and on the individuals who can use them to turn their lives around.

“Short sentences do little to reduce reoffending in our communities. Community sentences help to reduce reoffending by supporting the underlying causes of offending and ensure people pay back for the harm their crimes have caused with hard work in the community.

“This isn't about being ‘soft’ or ‘tough’, it is about being smart and acting on the clear evidence in front of us. And the evidence shows our approach is working. Recorded crime in Scotland is at a 41-year low and reconviction rates are at their lowest level in 16 years."

Edinburgh City Council's health, social care and housing convener Ricky Henderson said: “Brake the Cycle is a great example of people on community payback making a positive contribution through their unpaid work, as well as giving them the opportunity to learn new skills.

“They collect unwanted or damaged bicycles, which might otherwise go to landfill, develop skills in bicycle repair and pass on bicycles in good repair to schools and community groups who might otherwise not have access to bicycles.

"Those who receive the bicycles benefit by being active through cycling, which brings many health benefits, including tackling the risks of obesity. So the project contributes not only to reducing reoffending, but has health and environmental benefits for the community.”