Luton town council have wowed the judges at the Chelsea flower show with their stunning display of a rusting Vauxhall Cavalier mounted on bricks, accompanied by its former engine set gracefully to one side in a puddle of rainwater and brake fluid.
Visitors were stunned by the 'sensitive' setting of the vehicle in foot-long grass, dog poo and a range of cheap discarded furniture. The head of the judging panel was said to be particularly impressed by the 'artful nature' of the car's dilapidation, and noted especially its aesthetic juxtaposition with a half-burned, piss-stained mattress.
'The panel is always looking for authenticity,' said one former senior judge. 'The entry by Luton council captures brilliantly the foetid stench of Luton's vernacular, whilst showing a panache and creativity that only the very best squalid council estates can hope to aspire to.'
The garden is a hot tip to win the competition, which has recently been hampered by a string of 'conventionally pretty' entrants. These have been accused of failing to express the talent of the underclass for decorating their gardens, and those of other people, with ordinary household items that the less artistically-talented would be only too eager to take to the local dump.
