Beautiful blooms costing £50,000 have popped up across Luton, in a bid by the Town Hall to brighten up the town.

Luton Borough Council members decided to say it with flowers this summer and splash some cash to lift local spirits with the cheery floral displays.

The decision follows public criticism of the former Liberal Democrat administration in 2005 after the council at the time chose to cut back on the baskets in order to use the cash elsewhere.

And so followed two flowerless years for Luton, culminating in a public outcry last year when popular gardening contest Luton In Bloom was scrapped, due to further council budget cuts and dwindling numbers on the organising committee.

But now, a total of 110 colourful hanging baskets adorn George Street, Market Hill, Park Square and Bute Street.

And 305 barrier baskets have appeared in Mill Street, New Bedford Road at its junction with Collingdon Road, Alma Sreet, Manchester Street, New Bedford Road/Hucklesby Way junction, Park Square, St Mary's Road, Bute Street, Guildford Street and the Windmill Rd/Crawley Green Rd roundabout.

The Town Hall main entrance has also been decorated with the planters.

Lib Dem leader and former head of the council David Franks defended his party's decision to divert cash from the floral displays to more essential services when they were in power.

He said: "Over the four years of the Liberal Democrat administration, to improve the standards of care, we increased spending on adult social care from Labour's £27 million a year to £42.5 million a year - an increase of 54 per cent. All of this had to be done with the smallest government grant increases Luton has had for years.

"Unfortunately, to pay for this dramatic increase one or two luxuries had to go. One of these was the floral hanging baskets, which were nice to have, but cost a fortune to water and maintain."