Walking and driving around Southport at this time of the year one can see and appreciate all the hard work that must have been put into making the flower displays so beautiful.

The hanging baskets that abound all over town, the roundabouts with the floral swan on The Promenade and our parks are all to be admired, but Princes Park and the Marine Lake area are still in need of further attention.

So we must congratulate the team of gardeners who give us this wonderful splash of colour each year; long may it continue and spread to all parts of the town.

What a pity, however, that we are let down by Sefton Council’s otherwise inadequate maintenance of Southport; for a clean and well-maintained infrastructure would certainly enhance the resort and impress our visitors who come and enjoy our numerous annual events.

The administration must forget its empire building and put our town’s total cleaning programme under one dedicated and co-ordinated department. This would increase the civic pride that we already enjoy from our award-winning gardeners.