NEARLY half of the region's young criminals placed on a flagship community punishment scheme are flouting the order.

A total of 474 youngsters breached the terms of the intensive supervision and surveillance programme (ISSP) in two years, the Home Office has admitted.

It means 44.3 per cent of the 1,069 young offenders put on the programme in the North-East and North Yorkshire, between 2004 and 2006, failed to carry out their punishment as required.

The breach rate was even higher in other parts of the region, including Tees Valley (43 per cent), Newcastle (46.4 per cent) and York and North Yorkshire (65.9 per cent).

Conservative MP Justine Greening, who uncovered the figures, said: "It's unacceptable to have what is a key plank of the youth justice system being flouted."

But she stopped short of saying the programme should bescrapped, or that more young offenders should be locked up.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB), which adminsters the programme, said the rate reflected the determination of managers to enforce it "more rigorously".

The YJB said the scheme was succeeding in bringing down the re-offending rate in youth criminals, although only narrowly.

ISSPs, introduced in 2001 for under-18 offenders, were an attempt to cut the number of young offenders sent to prison.

The offenders are required to do 25 hours' work and training each week, rather than the two hours required for the standard supervision order.

They are closely monitored while carrying out the compulsory programme, sometimes with electronic tagging and curfews.

The breach rate was slightly lower across the country at 37.3 per cent of the ISSP orders issued over the two-year period.

A YJB spokesman said: "There has been a real drive by managers to police breaches more rigorously. The vast majority of breaches relate to non-compliance, which can include offenders failing to attend meetings, being rude or having a bad attitude."

Studies have suggested more than 90 per cent of persistent young criminals on the programme re-offend within two years.

However, the frequency of re-offending fell by 39 per cent over two years - exceeding the board's target by five per cent.