WOULD-be winners of the Worcester in Bloom competition claim they were led up the garden path when they left the prizegiving ceremony empty-handed.

People invited to the ceremony received city council-headed letters stamped with the phrase "third prize in the Britain in Bloom competition", which is where the confusion arose. Recipients of the letters thought they had won third prizes.

But hopes were dashed when red-faced gardeners realised they had misread the letters.

Entrant Martin Reeves said he was blooming mad when the real winners were announced.

"I told everybody I'd won third prize," said the 37-year-old. "I was at work and rushed back to get there.

"It was so misleading."

The winners of Worcester in Bloom were given their awards at the Green Centre in Dines Green.

Mr Reeves, who had entered a display of summer flowers for the competition said he attended the gala night with his wife Lynn, mother and step-father Eileen and Kenneth Berry.

"When the winners were announced, somebody else's name was called out," said Mr Reeves.

"Other people thought they'd also won the prize and people couldn't believe it when they found out.

"I walked straight out after it had finished."

Mr Reeves, who works as a motorcycle service manager for Bikes UK, in Sidbury, said people had travelled from Newport for the ceremony.

"All the other people felt bad about it," said Mr Reeves from Medway Road, Ronkswood.

"It got their hopes up and they all looked like idiots."

Mrs Berry branded the mix-up "disgusting".

"We all got dressed up and it was a shambles," she said.

"It was a terrible night - so many people felt they were led up the garden path."

Ian Yates, Worcester City Council parks and cemeteries manager said the leaflet was designed to highlight the city's success in the Britain in Bloom competition and felt "desperately sorry" for anyone who had been left with the wrong impression.

He said the leaflet had a gold sticker attached to it stating "Worcester in Bloom, bronze third prize, Britain in Bloom 2000".

"It's a shame if somebody has misunderstood it," he said. "There were 150 people there and a lot of very happy people walked away with awards.

"It's been the best year of the competition so far with the most entries."