Apology as dry spell leaves square in need of 'TLC'

The council said the square had hosted a number of summer events affecting the surface

Leicester City Council has apologised over the state of the lawns in one of its main public squares.

Officials said the grassed areas in Jubilee Square, near St Nicholas' Place, were "suffering" following a dry spell and after hosting events through the year.

Signs, put up by the council this week, said the lawns were not looking their best but would be getting some "TLC" [tender loving care] in the near future.

A council spokesperson said the whole area would be re-turfed early next year.

Already this year, Jubilee Square and its lawns have been used as the venue for the city's Christmas Ice rink, dismantled in January, followed by the Light Up Leicester festival in March.

It was also turned into a temporary Roman camp for the Old Town Festival in April with each event drawing thousands of visitors.

The council said replanting of shrubs was among the work planned

"Any well-used areas of grass are suffering at the moment due to extremely dry conditions," a council spokesperson said.

"This is something we are seeing up and down the country as the UK experiences one of its warmest summers on record.

"We will be reseeding once we have some rainfall and ground conditions improve, and will follow this up with a full re-turf when growing conditions allow, around March 2026.

"In addition, we will be undertaking a replanting scheme of the shrub beds in the autumn, weather permitting."