OVER-KEEN grass cutters at Eastleigh Borough Council have owned up to mowing down a spread of newly-flowered daffodils.

The bright yellow flowers were just coming into bloom along Alan Drayton Way in Bishopstoke when they were chopped by mistake by contractors cutting the grass verge.

Brian Stoneage, 52, of Kimberley Close, Fair Oak - who travels past the site on his way to and from work as a sales rep - has hit out at the careless act.

He said: "Surely whoever cut the grass knows the difference between daffodils and grass. They have always been there and provided a mass of yellow to brighten the journey to Eastleigh and back.

"When you always hear about kids wrecking this and wrecking that, it was always amazing that even though the flowers came out about Mother's Day, the kids didn't touch them. Now the council has come along and vandalised them itself."

John Morris, the council's grounds maintenance manager, said: "Unfortunately two clumps of daffodils, each about a metre square, were inadvertently cut down near the junction with Otter Close by the council's contractors.

"They have apologised and agreed to replant in the autumn. The council will also be planting an extra 10,000 daffodil bulbs."