Wallingford has taken two awards for floral displays in this year's Thames & Chilterns Country in Bloom.

The town was placed runner-up in the small town category and named Most Improved Entry in the competition, organised by the Southern Tourist Board as part of Britain in Bloom.

Judges were impressed by the town centre. They said: "The freshly painted Town Hall is decked out with a fine display of troughs, window boxes and hanging baskets. The colourful sponsored flower beds and floral traffic islands give promise of things to come.

"Wallingford is, the judges feel, on the brink of a floral renaissance and will surely figure among the list of prizewinners in the future."

The town's parks staff nurtured 23,000 seedlings to brighten up the streets.

In addition to the town's showpiece Castle Gardens, 50 planters were laid out in the town centre, sponsored by local businesses. This year, 14 tubs were also supplied to Crowmarsh Gifford.

Across Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, Wallingford was pipped only by small town winner Olney, near Milton Keynes.

Town clerk Andrew Rogers said he was "amazed" by the results his four parks staff consistently achieved in Wallingford.

He added: "It gives me enormous pleasure to see the town looking like this."

The aim of the competition is to encourage communities to improve and enhance their environment.