COLNE has been voted one of the cleanest towns in the North West - and locals think it is blooming marvellous.

For the two projects to clamp down on rubbish and brighten the town up have scooped two prizes as part of the Britain in Bloom competition.

Colne has won an award in the large towns category of the North West section of the competition. Judges were so impressed with the work to regenerate the Bail Street Allotments they also decided to give it a Royal Horticultural Society discretionary award.

The town's final finishing place is being kept a secret until a special awards ceremony later this month.

Horsfield ward councillor Dorothy Lord, who first entered Colne into the competition in 2004 when she was mayor, said organisers were delighted at accolade and said residents had done a lot of hard work to brighten up the town. She said: "We don't know yet whether or not we have won first, second, or third prize, but nevertheless we are over the moon!

"By engaging the community, encouraging them into looking after their patch and taking pride in their community, we aim to make Colne a better place to work, live and visit".

Judges toured the town earlier this year to see the work which had been done and were impressed with initiatives to tackle littering, fly-tipping and graffiti.

Work to brighten up the town includes planting shrubs by the railway station, planting daffodils at Byron Road Community Centre, Whitewalls and Langroyd as well as holding a flowers and music festival. Residents and businesses were also encouraged to do their bit by entering a competition to find the town's best gardens, backyards, pub, restaurant and community space.

The Bail Street allotments had been derelict for years until a team of six workers helped with a number of engineering and landscaping projects.

Colne, runner-up in 2004, was in competition against eight other towns with a population of between 12,000 and 35,000 including Fleetwood and Lytham.