IPSWICh: Managers at the town’s showpiece Christchurch Park have been told to make improvements if it is to retain its coveted Green Flag status in future years.

A “mystery shopper” from the organisers of the national Green Flag awards visited the park last October and warned the borough that improvements were needed.

The report he produced recommends that the park retains its Green Flag – but it was a near thing.

The report says: “In saying yes to retaining the Green Flag, the site was only just achieving the standard. There needs to be an improvement to the approach to this park.

“People I spoke to in the park said that they had noticed the work completed with the lottery fund. They were however concerned that the attention to detail had not been improved and they had noticed the park slipping backwards.”

Key problems identified where signs from some roads, especially Bolton Lane, and signs within the park.

The horticultural standards were not being maintained – there were empty flower beds and large weeds were growing in others. One of the ponds appeared to be very green.

Borough councillor with responsibility for parks, Inga Lockington, said the report had been commissioned because the park had done very well in previous years.

She said the points raised by the “mystery shopper” would be addressed by park staff over the next few weeks and months.

She said: “We will be looking in detail at this report, especially on issues like signs – but there is a cost implication and of course money is very tight at the moment.”

n Is Christchurch Park worth a Green Flag? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk