Having entered the competition for the first time, Grimsby snatched the gold award in the Small City category. And Cleethorpes won for the second time the top award in the Coastal Resort category.

The results have been celebrated by all involved in the community-wide In Bloom effort, including North East Lincolnshire Council, local businesses, schools and residents.

Councillor Colin Eastwell, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and tourism, said: “I’m absolutely delighted with the result. It is quite an achievement to do it once last year and to do it again this year. The awards are thoroughly deserved, in my opinion.

“The In Bloom work has made both the resort and Grimsby look absolutely fabulous: the streets are cleaner, there is less graffiti, and it’s a community event, helping promote community cohesion.”

Ernie Brown, chairman of the Grimsby in Bloom committee, said: “This is a wonderful achievement, and with it being our first time it wasn’t what we were expecting at all. We were up against towns which have entered the competition for years and won, so this award is really impressive.

“It is good to think that Great Grimsby is the best Small City in the whole of the East Midlands area.”

Lee Beckett, In Bloom Co-ordinator, said: “A lot of hard work has been put in by the council’s grounds maintenance and street cleansing teams, and as 50 per cent of the marks come from the horticultural side, without that hard work we wouldn’t have achieved what we did.

“I would also like to thank the community effort that has gone in too – it is a big part of the competition and people have been excellent this year getting involved.”

East Midlands in Bloom is an annual competition organised by the EMIB Regional Committee, covering Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

It is the Regional Competition of Britain in Bloom, aiming to encourage the improvement of our surroundings through the imaginative use of trees, shrubs, flowers and landscaping. It also aims to achieve a litter free and sustainable environment.