A GENERATION of jobless young people is costing the region hundreds of millions of pounds in lost earnings and crime, a study reveals.

Youth crime is costing the region £83m a year, while educational underachievement costs £945m in lost earnings.

About £5.4m is lost every week on forfeited earnings and benefit payments to unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds in the region. The region has had the highest proportion of unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds in the country in every five-year period since 1979.

The statistics were published today in a report by The Prince's Trust and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

It recommends more investment to help young people in the North-East's deprived communities who are not in employment, education or training.

David Beavis, North-East director of The Prince's Trust, which helps young people get jobs, said: "Only by helping young people in the North-East develop new skills and get back into work can we make a real investment in our region."

The report reveals an estimated 70,000 school-age offenders enter the youth justice system each year, costing £83m a year in the North-East.

Last year, the Prince's Trust helped more than 4,000 young people in the region to gain skills and find work. Three-quarters of all young people supported by the trust last year moved into work, education or training.

Among the youngsters the charity helped was Rebecca Burns, 22, from Darlington, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Through the trust's business programme, she was able to channel her artistic skills to set up Melting Pot Arts.