Probation workers in Huddersfield took to the streets to protest over plans to privatise the service.

They demonstrated with placards outside the St John’s Road offices as Government ministers confirmed the sell-off.

And the workers warned priorities for the new owners would be profit rather than the protection of the public.

A vast chunk of the probation service has been put up for sale by the Government under controversial reforms to privatise the rehabilitation of offenders in England and Wales.

A package of £450 million-worth of contracts has been offered up to private and voluntary sector organisations, covering the supervision of 225,000 low and medium-risk offenders each year on a payment-by-results basis.

With the likes of under-fire firms G4S and Serco set to bid for the work, probation service workers took to the streets in protest at the Government’s plans to “axe services designed to keep communities safe.”

A spokesman for the dozens of probation workers in Huddersfield said: “It is very depressing news.

“Every day our staff here in West Yorkshire work not only with offenders – many of whom are high-risk – but also with the victims of crimes.

“The offenders have often committed very serious violent or sexual crimes and it is due to the work of probation staff that they are supervised and deterred from re-offending.

“We are worried that the prime consideration for any private owner is going to be profit and not protection.

“They will be looking to save every penny they can and there will not be the same protection for the public and for the victims.”

Probation workers nationally are expected to step up their protests in the coming weeks.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling insisted the reforms were necessary to bring down re-offending, adding more than 600,000 offences were committed last year by repeat offenders.

He said: “The scale of interest in these contracts from so many diverse and creative organisations is extremely encouraging.

“This is great news for the public who will finally benefit from the best of the private and voluntary sectors, working together with the public sector, to cut reoffending.”

The competition will continue through 2014, with contracts awarded by 2015.