ANGRY Whitehaven mayor Brian O’Kane has slammed vandals who set fire to newly installed flower beds.

Flowers had recently been put up around the town for a Cumbria in Bloom bid and to add some colour to the streets.

Mr O’Kane said: “What we’re trying to do is improve the look of Whitehaven.”

But the flower beds on Strand Street and near the Solway Hall were set on fire.

He said: “This is the second time in a week that we’ve had a flower tub that somebody has burned. There seems to be a lot of fire incidents in Whitehaven.

“Everybody is concerned.

“If it’s a vendetta against the town council, or if it’s someone that just likes to see things burning... you do start to wonder why people get a kick out of burning flowers.”

In a discussion with police officers, Mr O’Kane was told that the fires may have been lit accidentally by carelessly thrown cigarettes.

Whether they were accidental or deliberate, the mayor was disappointed by the fires: “People are trying to be proactive to get people back into the town and show pride in the place.”

The town council has since replaced the flowers.