GREEN-fingered council tenants are being encouraged to make the best of their gardens this summer for a new competition.

For two weeks in August judges will secretly mark all Richmondshire District Council owned homes to find the best gardens, window boxes, tubs, baskets, borders and vegetable patches.

Tenants have a month to bring their plots into top condition before the judging panel sets off on its tour.

There will be first, second and third prizes for gardens in each of the council’s five partnership areas: Upper Dales, Catterick Garrison, Lower Wensleydale, A66 and Central.

"As a council we feel it is important to recognise the efforts that our tenants make to brighten up their streets and estates by creating and maintaining lovely gardens," said Councillor Peter Wood, member for housing.

"We hope this competition gives them an added incentive and will become an annual event. It doesn’t matter if you have a large, small or window box garden - judging will be done to reflect how the entrant has made use of the area they have."