‘HIGH-risk’ criminals in Burnley and Nelson will get increased support from psychologists thanks to extra funding worth £275,000.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services, has been working successfully with the probabtion service in Blackburn and Accrington over the last year, to help offenders who may be suffering from a personality disorder.

And the success of the pilot project has brought additional cash from The National Offender Management Service and NHS England, to extend the scheme to other areas.

A spokesman for Lancashire Care said: “The service will be delivered from the existing probation premises in Burnley and Nelson and will provide assessment of high risk offenders to ensure safe and effective risk management whilst they live in the community.

“It will also work towards reducing repeat violent offending and strives to provide improvements in psychological health and wellbeing to enable the this group of offenders to live safely in the community.

“It is a completely new service for Burnley and Nelson.

“However, the trust has worked with the Lancashire probation service for the last year as a health partner providing the community personality disorder service into Preston, Blackburn and Accrington. This has been a very successful partnership and the trust has now been asked to provide this service across Lancashire.

“The service is jointly funded by the National Offender Management Service and NHS England who have allocated £275,000 for the delivery of this new service which will be split between Lancashire Probation Service and Lancashire Care.”