Donington’s gold award winners in the East Midlands in Bloom contest are concerned they may lose their crown because of an overgrown roundabout.
With just a few weeks to go before judges descend on the village, Donington in Bloom members say grass has grown waist high and shrubs on the roundabout have been allowed to grow wild.
Donington has progressed from bronze to gold awards during seven years’ participation in East Midlands in Bloom,
Chairman Liz Walker said: “It’s a disgrace. We’re very concerned because the judges will pass it and some will even arrive that way.
“The state of the roundabout doesn’t just affect us - it impacts on the whole of the village because it’s the first thing people see.”
For two years the group said they paid South Holland District Council £1,500 in sponsorship for the roundabout and provided plants.
Liz said: “When we came to the end of the contract we didn’t think they were doing a good enough job so we stopped paying them.
“That was two years ago and the state of the roundabout has got progressively worse. It’s appalling.”
Resident Joy Roberts, of Station Road, is a member of the group. She said: “We’re all upset about it. It doesn’t give the village a very good image.”
Andy Wharff, area highways manager at Lincolnshire County Council which is responsible for the roundabout, said: “We’ve been in contact with Donington in Bloom and are trying to coordinate our grass cutting programme with the competition.”