Town moves to £20k self-watering floral displays

Workington Town Council has already replaced some of its hanging baskets to self-watering ones

A town is swapping traditional hanging baskets for self-watering ones to reduce its environmental impact.

Workington Town Council has spent £4,500 replacing hanging baskets and containers in Workington town centre and hopes to replace all displays across its patch in the next two years, costing a further £14,600.

The authority has also implemented a sustainable planting scheme, meaning it prioritises plants that are beneficial to pollinators and bloom over extended seasons.

"This approach supports local wildlife whilst creating vibrant displays for residents and visitors to enjoy," a spokesman for the council said.

They added the planters used a type of technology that reduced the amount of water needed for plants and flowers, reduced evaporation and increased storage capacity.

The council plans to move to peat-free soil soon

The spokesman said: "This innovation will result in substantial savings in water usage, fuel consumption and labour costs."

The authority has also shifted to using soil with less than 1% peat content, with a commitment to moving to peat-free displays by next year.