THE judges are coming: prepare to bombard them with flower power!

Town Hall bosses are urging residents to help the area succeed in this year's North West in Bloom competition.

Bury, Ramsbottom and Tottington have been entered in this year's tourney (Tottington won a prize last year) and the towns are again ablaze with displays and hanging baskets.

The competition takes place on Tuesday (July 15) and the inspectors will be on patrol in the morning (Tottington) and afternoon (Ramsbottom).

Councillor Stella Smith, executive member for environment and transport, said: "Businesses and residents can help make their towns look their best through a number of ways, including picking up litter, pulling up weeds near their shops and businesses, providing attractive floral displays and reporting any untidy areas.

"We are in the final phase of getting ready for the competition and that little bit of extra work might just make the difference and win the competition for us. Let's all work together and make the borough a brighter place."

Any problems of untidiness can be reported to the council's customer services team on 253 5353.