Disgruntled shop owners fed up with seeing abandoned and “ugly” plant pots on the high street took it upon themselves to spruce them up.

Alice and Michael Kentish, who own Hopscotch, in High Street, High Barnet, planted 100 narcissi bulbs to add a burst of yellow and purple to the empty planters.

The pots were initially set up on the traffic island outside the police station in 2012 as part of Boris Johnson’s Outer London Fund, but there was not enough money to pay for their upkeep.

The couple had initially asked Barnet Borough Council to help restore the flowers but their pleas were rejected.

Mr Kentish said it was a “horrible sight” when the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment marched passed the forlorn troughs when they exercised their freedom of the borough earlier this year.

He added: “We had enough of the scandalous state of it so decided to restore the planters to give the high street a little bit of joy.”

Mrs Kentish added: “It was a dreadful sight before, really ugly.

“I have a very practical mindset so I thought,just two hours' work could change the whole place. It’s really not a big deal because I am a keen horticulturist.

“It was really no trouble at all, I really enjoyed it. It was a very easy task. If we all do our bit, it can empower someone else.”