Bungling workmen mowed down a floral display in Harwich donated by the Dutch - just days before the visitors from Holland came to see the tribute.

Then to cover up the mistake, the Tendring Council contractors painted the Hook of Holland crest on the flower bed on the cliff slopes in Dovercourt, hoping no-one would notice.

Fortunately, despite the embarrassment, everyone - including the Dutch visitors - saw the the funny side of it.

A council spokesman said: "The only heads which have rolled were the ones belonging to the 1,000 bulbs."

The bulbs were a gift to Harwich Town Council in 1997 from the Hook of Holland Town Council when it celebrated its 50th birthday.

Although the gift was to the town council, Tendring Council had the facilities to plant the bulbs and maintain the flower beds.

They were planted on the slopes off Marine Parade so they faced Holland and could be seen from the HSS superferry as it made its way into the port from the Hook.

The Dutch visitors - including the man who donated the bulbs - had previously seen pictures of the display but went to see the real thing yesterday during their visit to the town.

The Tendring Council spokesman said: "It does look as though we have painted ourselves into a corner on this one.

"The flower heads in one of the commemorative beds were lopped off inadvertently because they were hidden by long, overgrown grass.

"Our man was terrified when he discovered what had happened but there was no going back."

He continued: "Painting the badge on to the bed was thought to be a good idea at the time. It did flag up the mistake but it also made the most of a difficult situation - after all the visitors were expecting to see something.

"It's all a bit reminiscent of a scene from Alice Through The Looking Glass but it was taken in good humour by the town council and their guests and I am assured that no more heads will roll."

In fact the Dutch contingent are to send over more bulbs so the flower bed depicting the Hook of Holland crest can be increased by a third next year.

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