GREEN-fingered residents have declared garden wars in their busy back street.

Fed up with traffic and noise from a nearby food production factory, neighbours in Bright Street, Leigh, decided to dig in to improve their environment -- and have ended up in a friendly battle to create the best plot.

Leading the way is compere-cabaret star Frank Bollard at number 21 who has been awarded a £50 prize for the best garden in Westleigh -- and his efforts will next week be judged in the Metro borough-wide finals.

Frank said: "We were a bit fed up of the factory activities, so all the lads in the area started improving their gardens. It got to be like garden wars, and then pond and water feature wars with everyone trying to outdo each other.

"The lads have even been known to stop going to the pub because they're working on a feature. "When I moved in four years ago my garden was like Onslow's in Keeping Up Appearances. There were bikes and old cars and people had had fires in oil drums. It was horrendous.

'I decided to create a Mediterranean garden in Westleigh, creating a patio and bringing pots back from my stints abroad. The gardening bug spread along the row and now talk is not of pigeons and ferrets its koi carp and weater features.

'It's alike an enclosed courtyard here now where everyone mows each others lawns and gives each other a hand. The pub is on hold while the lads build fountains and waterfalls.

"When you come in at night it's all features and lights. It looks like Disneyland here now.

"Some mystery person nominated my garden for the Westleigh award and I am delighted to have won, but I'm even more thrilled with the atmosphere that has been created."