SCORES of businesses dug deep into their pockets to support an £80,000 scheme that will make the borough bloom with civic pride for years to come.

Almost 600 hanging baskets and street planters were brought and installed throughout the borough thanks to a £36,500 grant from Pilsworth Environment Company (PEC) and £10,000 from Bury Council. The scheme supports Bury in the national Britain in Bloom competition.

And businesses in all six metropolitan townships of Tottington, Ramsbottom, Prestwich, Whitefield, Radcliffe and Bury have jumped at the chance to have their communities ablaze with colour by sponsoring the plants at £30 per basket.

In addition, local area boards in each township have sponsored 20 hanging baskets each. The scheme follows a successful three-year pilot scheme in Ramsbottom.

Councillor Derek Boden, lead member for the Local Agenda 21 strategy, said: "This is a scheme that will benefit the look of the borough for years to come as the generosity of local business continues to sponsor the planting and maintenance of the displays.

"The response to the scheme has been fantastic. Some businesses have paid for up to ten hanging baskets while workers from others volunteered to help secure more support. The hanging baskets and planters complement the summer bedding displays which already help to attract visitors to the borough from far and wide."

He went on: "The borough has environmental targets to meet and this scheme helps us achieve this. My thanks also goes to PEC for making it possible with its grant and to Bury Environmental Forum for securing the bid."

PEC is an independent company set up by landfill operators Viridor Waste Management. It allocates money from the Government's Landfill Tax Credit Scheme to community projects within a ten mile radius of its Bury base.

Sidney Cockcroft, a director of PEC, said: "I am pleased that PEC's backing for this scheme has been so well received and that local support will ensure Bury blooms for many years to come."