WHILE the world waits for soil tests to show what caused Saltburn's floral displays to wither and die, the community has wasted no time in getting to work to replace them.

Hundreds of volunteers have emptied and replanted baskets and tubs and raised money to pay for replacement displays.

With Britain in Bloom judges due to return to the town on Thursday, organisers are confident more than 300 poisoned hanging baskets and tubs will be replaced.

The news of the plants' demise has been featured in news bulletins and papers as far away as Canada and Malaysia.

The dead plants were discovered at the weekend and are thought to have been killed by weedkiller slipped into a contractor's water tank used to spray the floral displays.

The incident came two weeks after vandals ruined a 17ft floral display of Saltburn pier, created specially for the Britain in Bloom contest.

It is the fifth year Saltburn has got through to the final of the competition, and last year it won the community award.

Sarah Loyd was one of the helpers who got to work removing the dead plants from hanging baskets at the railway station.

She said: "There are so many people here and it shows what a fantastic community this is. Like everyone else, I just want the area to look lovely. We take a personal pride in it."

Speculation as to what happened to the plants was rife, but she would only say: "It looks as though something terrible has happened, but I can't say it has been purposefully done."

Jackie Taylor, who helped raise the £19,000 needed for this year's displays, was also reluctant to comment on the cause of the dead plants.

But Redcar and Cleveland Council is describing it as a "malicious poisoning of water supplies" and Cleveland police are investigating. The soil test results from the poisoned plants are expected today.

"We will be ready for the judges, even if we have to work all night," said Ms Taylor. "The support has been amazing. It's overwhelming. People have been offering hanging baskets from their own houses."

More than 100 books of raffle tickets have been sold, and anonymous donations have rolled in.

Local nurseries donated plants for the displays and Amberol, a Derbyshire-based firm which makes self-watering baskets, gave £2,500 worth of equipment after reading about the incident in a national newspaper. Redcar and Cleveland Council has given £2,000 and offered free plants from its Kirkleatham Nursery.

Ms Taylor said the re-filled baskets and tubs were expected to be back on show on Monday or Tuesday.