CHARLIE Dimmock had better watch out!

Council gardeners from East Lancashire are being toasted after scooping a top honour at the flower show dubbed the 'Chelsea of the North'.

And what makes Blackburn with Darwen Council's success more surprising is - it was the first year it had ever entered the Tatton Park Flower Show.

Now bosses are working on a way to bring the award-winning design back to Blackburn so it can be enjoyed by residents.

The green-fingered team from the council amenities section spend most of the year maintaining flowerbeds throughout the borough, while growing many of plants at nurseries in Witton Park.

But for three days last week they switched their attention to creating an exhibit at the Royal Horticultural Society's annual event in the Cheshire park.

Unlike many of the rivals they were up against, they created everything on site last week - and were shocked when judges honoured them with the bronze medallion.

The award was given to their 'Bee Hive' display in the RHS National Flower Bed Competition.

Gardeners said they tried to create a bed based on images strongly related to the borough.

It incorporated the crest - depicting three stylised beehives with three bees coming from the- and the bedding was planted in a honeycomb effect to represent the cultural diversity in Blackburn with Darwen, with a flower river through the honeycomb portraying the River Darwen.

It was designed by Emma Fielding, who works as a horticultural technician for the amenities department.

Coun Dorothy Walsh, who attended the event, said: "This is a great reward for the many talented people involved with this project. The display looked fantastic."

Peter Hunt, head of direct services at the council, said: "We learnt a lot while we were there so hopefully we can win again next year."

Clitheroe-based designer Paul Hensey also enjoyed success at the show by being awarded a RHS Silver Award with his entry in the 'back to back' gardens category.

Paul who launched his own garden design company, Elysium Design, said: "A lot of hard work went into building this dream garden.

"I'm really pleased that it has been recognised by the 'best of the best' in gardening and landscape design."