Four East Devon’s parks and green spaces have been awarded green flag awards.

Sidmouth’s Connaught Gardens and Peak Hill Slope, Exmouth’s Manor Gardens, Seaton’s Seafield Gardens and Seaton Wetlands Nature Reserve.

The award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces and much like the beach award scheme blue flag.

East Devon District Council said its a 'testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams that make them great spaces looking pretty'.

A spokesman for the authority added: "The awards are the result of the hard work of EDDC StreetScene and Countryside teams, with valuable help from ‘in bloom’ groups and the many volunteers."

The staff and volunteers that work together are already busy on new improvements, including a further phase of planting in the autumn which will see the introduction of sustainable perennials and wildlife attracting plants in abundance.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC’s portfolio holder for coast, country and environment, said: "The strengths of our parks and nature reserves are the teams that manage them.

"Described by the judges as passionate, knowledgeable and motivated, the StreetScene and Countryside teams are continually improving our sites, providing space for nature by planting wild flowers to benefit pollinators, insects and ultimately birds, providing bird boxes, reducing environmental impacts and have started introducing more drought-resistant species."

The teams are addressing future climate and biodiversity challenges through sustainable planting, the sowing of wildflower seed, and allowing nature recovery at selected sites.

In addition to this, the council continues to bring in more eco-friendly grounds maintenance equipment in the form of battery operated machinery to reduce emissions and our overall carbon output in maintaining our parks and greenspaces.

The award has been given for 19 years in a row to Connaught Gardens, 18 years to Manor Gardens and Seaton Wetlands, and three years to Seafield Gardens.

The Green Flag Award scheme, managed by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

A full list of Green Flag Award-winning parks and green spaces is available here