Over zealous council workmen mow down Britain in Bloom entry

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The flowers had been lovingly planted in a run down churchyard to restore some community pride and were about to bloom in the Spring sunshine.

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Margaret Forbes, Chairman of the Friends of the Churchyard group, was devastated after Council gardeners mowed their Britain in Bloom wildflower meadow

The gardeners went to work with their grass cutting mowers and have ruined the award winning project which, ironically, had received £300 to buy plants by the same under fire council.

Pupils at a local primary school had helped plant out the meadow in the grounds of St Andrews Church in Torquay, Devon, last Autumn in a bid to instill pride into the local environment.

Torbay Council has apologised for the blunder and the upset it has caused.

But Margaret Forbes-Hamilton, chairman of the Friends of the Churchyard group, says it is unacceptable especially as the council staff were given a site visit to tell them which areas should be left alone.

Mrs Forbes-Hamilton said: "It's a typical case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing at the council.

"It's very disappointing, especially considering the lawn cutting team was told exactly what to leave for us to look after.

"It was to be an integral part of our application to Britain in Bloom, and we were ahead of the game here as this year's theme is Going Wild.

"Now what do we have? A nice patch of mown lawn."

The volunteers won the first Torbay in Bloom Community Award last year for their efforts in tackling overgrown weeds, shrubs, trees, collapsed walls in an area which was a magnet for drug users, dealers and drunks.

"To have a meadow in the middle of a built up area is very special. The sight of the flowers and the wildlife they attract is mood changing."

A Torbay Council spokesman said: "Unfortunately the wildflower meadow was included in the first round of grass cutting for the year and we are deeply sorry for the upset it may have caused. "We are confident that the flowers will recover."