JUDGES in an annual floral contest have scored North Yorkshire's towns and villages highly.

The results of the spring judging for Yorkshire in Bloom were announced yesterday.

The Nidderdale village of Darley, which won a gold medal in the Europe in Bloom competition last year, won the village category, and Starbeck, in Harrogate, came top in the urban community section.

Starbeck improved on its second position last year. The judges said the entry encompassed the whole community.

Cayton, near Scarborough, came top in the large village section, Ripon came second in the small town category and Pickering improved to come sixth in the small country town section.