COLOURFUL blooms have been springing up over Christchurch this summer.

Thanks to the council’s policy of sowing wild flowers, a variety of cornflowers, poppies, toad flax, gysophila, black-eyed susans, chrysanthemums and corn marigolds have appeared.

They can be seen at Church Hatch, the entrance to Two Riversmeet Leisure Centre, Bernards Mead in Jumpers, on Stony Lane roundabout and on the northern end of The Runway. Matti Raudsepp, head of leisure and open spaces at the Christchurch and East Dorset Partnership, said: “We have received many telephone calls from local residents and visitors congratulating us on the banks of wild flowers.

“Most people seem to find this a very pleasant alternative to constantly having to cut overgrown verges.

“Because of the positive feedback we will look to extend this policy in future years.”