Council chiefs slammed for installing huge 'Super Mario' plant pots in town centre

Council chiefs have been blasted for installing dozens of giant green plant pots - which locals say "look like something from Super Mario Brothers" - in a town centre. Walsall residents say their town has been made a laughing stock by the "garish" 5ft-high planters which have been placed around the Black Country town. Walsall Council forked out thousands of pounds of a government grant on dozens of the massive planters that they claimed "promoted a feeling of wellbeing and safety".

Residents say more of the pots have been added to the area over the past year leaving the town centre "looking like something from Super Mario Brothers". While some drew comparisons to the "warp pipes" from the hit Nintendo computer game, others simply believe they are a waste of taxpayers' cash. The town has been hit by several store closures in recent years and some believe money could be better spent on driving businesses to the centre. Carl Richards, 33, from Bloxwich, Walsall, was among those slamming the "weird collection of garish green planters".

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"You sometimes get drunk lads jumping on them. They serve no purpose but to make us look like a bit of a laughing stock," he said. "There's empty shops, antisocial behaviour and crumbling buildings yet the council thought these Mario warp pipes would be the best thing for Walsall." Retired lorry driver Bill Danks, 74, of Leamore, Walsall, added: "I think they look stupid. Walsall used to be a thriving market town and now we just have big green plant pots. "Businesses are not being attracted to the area and this will not help matters...I've never heard of Super Mario but there's certainly nothing super about Walsall anymore."

One resident posted images of the pots on social media and wrote: "What the hell are these now, why do they keep adding these they look terrible, they don't even match the town surroundings, is it some sort of weird modern art? "Why not just take away the dirty market and drug phone boxes and put trees into the ground like Lichfield town centre for example, these green tubs are such a waste of money!" One person replied: "You are talking about Walsall council who haven’t got a clue on how to liven the town up."

Deputy Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Adrian Andrew said: “Walsall has to compete if it is to recover from the pandemic, recent economic downturns and the cost of living pressures we’re all currently facing whether as residents or business owners.

"The plant pots had mixed reviews, but importantly provoked lots of discussion about what local people want from Walsall town centre in the future."