Like bees to wildflowers, Swindon Borough Council is hoping to attract some of the love other councils have got for their verges.

Earlier this summer a tweet about the roadsides in Rotherham, planted with annual wildflowers by the local council went viral with thousands of people expressing their admiration for the planting of eight miles of verges.

With Greenbridge roundabout in east Swindon similarly planted and providing a riot of colour for weeks this year, bosses at Euclid Street says it wants to take it further.

Leader of the Conservative administration David Renard said: "Swindon Conservatives have led on green issues for the last decade and ensured the council is leading the way.

"Our Clean and Green campaign is trying to galvanise the passion that local residents have for the environment so that we can all love where we live. The importance of wildflower-rich road verges has been well documented and we are committed to improving our verges for nature, bringing benefits for wildlife, for us and for future generations.

“The Conservatives want to see wildflower meadows, verges and roundabouts across the town. Greenbridge roundabout has been a success and we want to see more happen.

“We must take the best lessons from other councils, like Rotherham, and not be afraid to apply them to improve our town. If the council can save money too then all the better.”

Savings can be found in planting annual wildflowers along verges and on roundabouts as they are not mown as often. Although the very edge of Greenbridge has been kept short, in order to not obscure the lights used there.

The initiative meets with the approval of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’ the charity’s chief executive officer Dr Gary Mantle, who said: “Roadside verges are a vital habitat for some of our most-loved and important species, and particularly for wildflowers and pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

“ Provided the vegetation does not cause a hazard for vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians, leaving roadside verges to grow and flower (or at least cutting them on a less frequent basis) can help threatened species to recover, increase biodiversity, reduce local authorities’ costs, and make our roadsides more attractive.”