Plant display 'left to wither'

Thousands of pounds worth of exotic plants along a busy Black Country dual carriageway have been allowed to wither and die through neglect, according to shopkeepers.

The former award-winning display on Tollhouse Way, Smethwick, was today described as "a disaster" by Surinder Josan, chairman of Sandwell Trading Association.

The plants, sown in large plant-holders along the central reservation, are yellow and shrivelled, showing signs they have not been watered for weeks.

Traders say the pots are regularly covered in weeds and show the town in a bad light.

The council-owned display, which originally included double and treble-tiered holders, received a mixed reaction when it was first installed in 2004 with some residents dubbing the floral structures as "oversized cake stands".

However, they helped to win a silver gilt for Smethwick in the 2007 Heart of England Britain in Bloom awards. But since then the plants have not received the tender loving care they require, according to residents and traders.

Mr Josan, who runs All Seasons DIY in the High Street, which runs parallel to Tollhouse Way, said: "At the very least they need to be watered and the right compost and feed used but the council are obviously not doing it.

"We're looking out at it every day and it's a disaster. They have attempted to put flowers in now and again but the pots are usually overgrown with weeds and they've been neglected for months. When you compare them to the beautiful troughs brimming with begonias and other flowers in Ladywood just down the road, it's embarrassing. If Birmingham can look after their plants, why can't Sandwell? We pay enough taxes."

He added: "It reflects badly on Smethwick, it doesn't make the town look very up and coming."

Sandwell Council's cabinet member for safer neighbourhoods Councillor Derek Rowley said: "The grasses do go brown during the winter and become green and sometimes yellow throughout the spring and summer.

"If they would benefit from some attention, I will get officers to go out and tend to them.

"We also put a some annual flowering plants in the pots during the summer. Those are due for delivery."