Youngsters from the age of 10 will act as judge and jury at peer panels as part of a £500,000 Government initiative to curb juvenile nuisance.

Organisers hope Dr Tutu, who was instrumental in bringing down apartheid in South Africa, will be able to visit the project centre in the autumn.

Dr Tutu, the former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, said: "I welcome the development of the Peer Restorative Justice system.

"An intervention by one's peers is an excellent way to reach young people and to encourage positive choices. Much deviant behaviour is the result of a lack of self-worth in the individual.

"I believe this programme has the potential to encourage young people to believe that their actions matter."

He said there was no such thing as "bad kids" – only vulnerable youngsters who "lacked the tools to make choices that will enrich their lives".

The first peer panels will begin in Preston at the end of July at the former Gateway Housing offices in Lancliffe Road, Brookfield.

Further panels will be held at the Lawson Street police station from around the start of September.

The scheme will be run by Preston Council and the crime reduction charity Nacro.