Residents in Grange of Lindores were thrilled when they got a letter from the local authority telling them that they had scooped the top spot for the area in the small village category of the annual best-kept town and village competition and were through to the Fife-wide finals, due to be judged today (Friday).

But their elation turned to dismay when they discovered that due to a 'clerical error' they'd been given the title by mistake and it had actually been won by their old rivals Collessie.

Jean Allardice, chair of Grange of Lindores Flowers, said that her hard-working group felt they had been 'slapped in the face' after discovering the mix-up by accident.

She said: "We were surprised and delighted to receive a letter on July 15 to say that we had won the area award, so we put the news in the Abdie column of the Fife Herald.

"The following week, I noticed that in their column Collessie were also claiming to have won — so I checked up and found that indeed thay had.
"We felt very foolish and deflated after everyone put in so much effort.

"The council is very keen on fostering community involvement, but it's difficult to stay motivated when they slap you in the face like this."

Development support manager Peter Howden said the council 'very much regretted' the incident, which had occurred as the result of a clerical error.

He explained that the best-kept town and village competition had been judged on the same day — and by the same judges — as the Beautiful Scotland awards, and there had been a mix-up with the paperwork.

He said: "We issued a prompt apology to the people of Grange of Lindores for this error.

"As a council we place a great deal of importance on the best-kept village competition and we appreciate that this has left a bad taste.

"It is something we very much regret and we will be taking steps to ensure it never happens again."