CLEETHORPES In Bloom has thanked gardeners who cared for a seafront vegetable patch in their campaign for gold.

Committee vice-chairman Jeff Blanchard wrote to members of the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society to praise their work on the Mermaids Allotment, which is situated opposite The Pier, on the resort's Sea Road.

However, the letter added: "Although the Allotment Garden, which has been in place for some years, has been very successful, it has come to the end of its time and that particular section of garden is ready for a change of theme."

The committee also asked that the society cleared the site by October 4 – or arrange for the committee to clear it for them.

The decision has caused "disappointment" among members of the civic society, including society member Ernie Brown who did much of the gardening at the site.

He said: "I have no involvement in Cleethorpes In Bloom now and I would've liked to have been involved, as would the civic society.

"We've not even been told if Cleethorpes In Bloom will find us another plot to work on, so there's no hope for the future.

"At the East Midlands In Bloom judging, under suggestions for improvement, they were told they needed more community involvement, but I don't see how pushing out the civic society is the right way of going about it."

Cleethorpes In Bloom chairman Bob Callison said the civic society's contribution to the plot had helped the resort to win its second Gold Award in the East Midlands In Bloom competition, but said the time had come to let someone else make use of the land.

He said: "We've got to keep showing the judges new things and we can't keep giving them old hat."