FLOWER beds across Hartlepool are to be ripped up by council workers in a bid to make it easier to maintain the town's green spaces.

At a meeting yesterday, Hartlepool Borough Council agreed a new strategy to keep the green areas in the town tidy and well maintained.

As well as employing a team of temporary workers to clear a backlog of maintenance work in the recreation grounds, bowling greens, churchyards and play areas around the borough, the authority has also backed a series of measures to reduce the maintenance workload.

A spokesman for the council said: "There are various horticultural beds and features, which have either been abandoned to nature, and in inappropriate areas are not popular with residents, or are very expensive in traffic management terms to service."

Many of the areas will be landscaped so they are easier to care for, while some will simply be resurfaced.

It has been estimated that the removal of shrubs beds off Elwick Road, Parton Street and Wharton Terrace could cost £136,000.

The spokesman said: "This work is highway-related rather than horticultural, but the beds are the subject of constant complaints. They are expensive to maintain and are litter gatherers."

The removal and landscaping of the other flower beds in the town will cost an estimated £54,000.

It is hoped the team of temporary workers will free the permanent team to concentrate on new projects.

The temporary workers will come from the council's Intermediate Labour Market scheme, which employs 18 to 24-year-olds who are out of work, and offers them training.

There are also plans to start a new labour market scheme for those aged over 25, which will involve them working in ground maintenance.

The full list of improvements will cost £300,000 and include full-time workers setting up small teams to concentrate their efforts in different public areas with localised managers.

The spokesman said: "If operatives have a responsibilty for a particular part of the town, then they develop a pride for that area. The public get to know them, and the teams develop into multi-functional squads."

If funding is secured for the work from council budgets, it is scheduled to start in the new year