A TOWN will be less colourful this summer after a council cut the number of hanging baskets in the face of water shortages.

Swanley Town Council will only put up 100 hanging baskets this year instead of the 400 it usually installs as part of its entry into the Britain In Bloom competition.

The decision was made as a pre-emptive measure after Thames Water announced it will impose a residential hosepipe ban from March 20.

The firm says unless more rain falls it will have to impose a drought order, which bans non-essential use of water.

In the last two years the south east has experienced the driest consecutive winters for more than 80 years.

Between January and March 20 this year only 106mm of rain fell in Kent compared to 157mm for the same period in 2004.

Swanley has entered the national In Bloom competition, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, for more than 10 years.

In 2003 it won the south-east regional title.

All of the baskets are funded by private sponsorship.

Honeyfield Care Home, Rowhill Road, Swanley, has entered its community garden into the competition for the past three years.

Penny Taylor, activity co-ordinator for the home, fully supports the decision.

She said: "We will all have to make sacrifices. The council has done the right thing.

"We've had to rethink our own garden this year because of the water shortage. We will have to use Mediterranean-style plants instead of begonias and bizzy lizzies."

The decision was endorsed by councillors at a meeting on March 22.

Town council clerk Brian Daley said: "We're also looking at including drought-tolerant plants and adding wood chippings to baskets to make a further commitment to saving water.

"We felt we needed to lead by example. We can hardly use so much water when residents are being told not to.

"If the ban becomes commercial then we will just have to stop watering, I don't think this decision will jeopardise our chances in the contest."