|PIC1|People out of work for more than two years would have to do community work to keep their unemployment benefit, under proposals set out by the Conservative Party on Tuesday.

Under a future Conservative administration, those who refuse to do local jobs such as removing graffiti or cleaning parks would lose their out-of-work benefits.

"It's time to say if you want to get work-related benefits, you've got to be available for work, you've got to accept reasonable job offers and you've got to take part in training programmes," Conservative Leader David Cameron told Sky News.

"We shouldn't have a system which just leaves people year after year languishing on benefits. That's no life for them, it's no life for their families, and it's bad for our society and our country."

The U.S.-style work for welfare plan is designed to get hundreds of thousands of people off benefit and back into employment.

The party plans to establish a network of back-to-work centres run by private and voluntary bodies which jobless claimants would be expected to attend for most of the working week.

The centres would only be paid for each claimant they succeeded in getting back to work, with their fees funded by the savings created by not paying unemployment benefit.

The Conservatives believe enough savings would be generated to also fund a tax break for married couples.

The party also plans a tough "three strikes and you're out" sanction where claimants who refuse three reasonable job offers will be barred from unemployment benefits for three years.

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) said the Tory welfare proposals would threaten family security.

"Cameron should stop caring only about a small and shrinking number who abuse the welfare system and focus on providing high quality support and poverty protection to families keen to put their problems behind them," said CPAG Chief Executive Kate Green.

The Conservatives are also proposing that all 2.6 million people on Incapacity Benefit should be required to attend an assessment to see if they can return to work.

Academics believe there could be as many as one million "hidden unemployed" among those claiming the long-term sick benefit.

The government is introducing its own scheme to help get those on sick benefits back to work, but it will only apply to new claimants.