Floral flop - one of the public gardens on the seafront

Tenby has withdrawn from the small town category it won 13 years running as locals say it has no hope of success.

Pembrokeshire Council has been partly blamed for a lack of planting, weeding and general up-keep at the resort.

But it said it was unhappy with the way money given to the town council for the work had been spent and in future it would take on the job itself.

The Wales in Bloom contest, which aims to encourage cities, towns and villages to improve their environment and neighbourhoods, starts next month.

Our town is not up to scratch to enter this year Sue Lane

Chairwoman of Tenby in Bloom Sue Lane said after walking the route judges would take she felt there was little point in competing this year.

"I don't want people to think Tenby is run down or anything but we just felt it was not good enough to enter this year," she said.

Town councillors said some parts of Tenby had become neglected with weeds growing, areas needing painting and street furniture such as benches missing.

There are empty flower beds along the sea front with no flowers in.

Coastal colour - Tenby won the contest 13 times in the 1990s and early 2000s

Mrs Lane said there had been a decline in standards over recent years and she and her colleagues on the town council did not think the county council was putting enough money in.

"I am not saying we are blameless at all," she added.

"The professional judges of the Wales in Bloom contest take into account all environmental aspects of the town and not just the floral side and our town is not up to scratch to enter this year."

She said meetings were now being arranged with Pembrokeshire Council to ensure Tenby could enter again next year.

A spokesman for the authority said it provided grants to Tenby Council each year to maintain areas of the town.

But he said it would stop in October as there were concerns at the state of the town and would in future do the work itself.

"For a number of years they having been having money from us as they have liked to do it themselves," he said.