BEDS of beautiful blooms are to be grassed over in Poole in a bid to save cash.

There will be no colourful display of five Olympic rings greeting visitors to Poole Park through next summer.

And the display bed inside the Kingland Road entrance, which for years has been used to celebrate anniversaries and mark important dates for charities and organisations, will become lawn.

“This is unacceptable,” said Cllr Mike Brooke, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Borough of Poole.

“The flower beds are an important feature of the park and add real value to its quality and enjoyment by the public. First it was Poole in Bloom and now this.

“What has happened to Pride in Poole and ‘Poole is a Beautiful Place’?” he asked.

He suggested the Big Society could step in, with voluntary organisations helping out.

Earlier it was revealed that the council had dealt the death blow to Poole in Bloom by axing a £5,000 grant to volunteers who had run the annual competition for more than 20 years.

Now leisure services aims to save a further £2,00-3,000 by getting rid of carpet beds, which use more than 1,000 plants and are replanted twice a year.

The colourful baskets of flowers attached to lamp columns are also being removed from the park, there will be no displays at the borough boundary signs and 19 pedestal containers across the town are being taken down, saving around £10,000 overall.

“We are gradually reducing the number of annual flower bed displays and replacing them with alternatives that cost the council less to maintain, both financially and environmentally,” said Clive Smith, head of leisure services.

“We realise flower displays are very popular with local people and visitors and we are doing everything possible to keep as many as we can throughout the borough.

“Poole Park is a well-loved and popular area and the majority of floral displays will remain there for people to enjoy.

“However, due to the current financial pressures faced by the council we will be removing the most expensive bedding there to contribute towards the savings required overall.”

• Do you have pictures of Poole’s floral displays in years gone by? Please send them to Newsdesk, Daily Echo, Richmond Hill, Bournemouth BH2 6HH, marked “Poole floral displays”, and let us know if you need them returned.