Britain in Bloom judges descended on Bacup yesterday to assess its bid to become ‘one of Britain’s most beautiful towns’.

Receiving high praise from judges Steven Lowe and Rob Downs the town placed itself in good stead for a prize in a nationwide gardening competition.

Mr Lowe stated: “I thought I knew Bacup but now I’ve seen it in a different light."

The pair commended volunteers for their amazing floral displays, the high levels of maintenance, how much usage the areas got and specifically the many aspects of community involvement in the parks and developments.    

Pictures show perfectly clean streets with a vast selection of planters and well-kept flower beds.

Alongside the village, both Stubbylee and Moorlands Park were assessed, with the Stubbylee Greenhouses a contender for the 'It’s Your Neighbourhood Award'.

A team of dedicated volunteers have worked tirelessly throughout the year to prepare the town and even received help from the local fire service to help water the plants.

More than 17,000 plants were planted, and Rossendale Borough Council was quick to support, offering its maintenance team to make sure the town looked pristine.

Judges will continue to visit entries over the summer and the winners of the competition will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

Pat Smith, chair of Bacup Pride, said: “To be honest we are just pleased with how the town looks, that is a reward we know the people of Bacup support what we do, and we enjoy what we do and anything else we get is a bit of a bonus really.

“The judges were really impressed, and they thought we had done a wonderful job pulling residents together.”

Volunteers took the judges to Stubbylee Greenhouses Stables café which they were incredibly impressed with thanks to the beautiful artwork and creativity that was on display.

Mr Lowe insisted that he would be coming back to visit after the success of the day.