A COMMUNITY project to introduce snakeshead fritillaries in Cuckingstool Mead at Malmesbury has been mown down by mistake.

The wildflowers were planted last year and were just starting to come into flower last week when contractors from North Wiltshire District Council arrived with their mowing machines and cut them down, despite stakes marking their location.

Deputy mayor John Lawton told the Standard: "I have been fairly incandescent with North Wiltshire. They have just gone through the snakesheads.

"We didn't send them a plan but you would have thought they would have looked."

The mead has been the scene of a lot of planting recently as the town attempts to brighten itself up.

"It was a community project. Everyone got involved and 140 to 150 bulbs went in. We were planning to show the mead as part of out South West in Bloom entry. Now there is no sign of them whatsoever," Mr Lawton added.

"We have deliberately not opened the gates yet because we wanted them to establish themselves for a year."

He believed it was unlikely the plants would ever flower now.

District council staff cut the grass at the mead under contract from Malmesbury Town Council, but Mr Lawton complained: "We never get any notice of when they are going in to mow."

A North Wiltshire District Council spokesman said: "Unfortunately no one was made aware that the meadowland contained any specific additional plants that they should be wary of when grass cutting.

"The grass cutting team are careful and conscientious to avoid flowering plants when grass cutting and regularly leave patches that contain areas with flowers such as crocus and daffodils.

"Following reports that these flowers had been cut no evidence could be found of the remnants of the flowers themselves or the stakes that supposedly marked the area.

"Obviously North Wiltshire District Council apologises if these flowers were cut down unknowingly."

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