PARLIAMENT Street in Burnley is looking blooming lovely as wildflower seeds spread by the council earlier in the year have grown into a colourful wildflower meadow.

Poppies, dandelions and other delights have sprung up, creating a vibrant floral display on derelict land formerly used for housing.

A council spokesman said: “This is part of a wider initiative to regenerate areas by creating islands of brightly coloured wildflower meadows.

“We seeded in areas cleared of housing so that instead of just an empty, derelict space, it becomes something pretty to look at.”

When rows of houses are demolished to regenerate Burnley’s housing stock the cleared areas are generally grassed over.

In 2011 council chiefs announced they were going to stop cutting some of the grass across the borough, creating wildlife havens but also helping save money on the grass cutting bill.

Some of the playing fields, grass verges and slopes are now allowed to grow, creating attractive scenes.

At the time of the decision the council said it hoped the meadows would encourage bees, butterflies and birds into urban areas and reduce CO2 emissions.

The grass is left to grow and flourish during the summer months, before being trimmed back during the winter.