A BID to tackle the blight of unsightly wheelie bins in Galashiels town centre has been rubber-stamped.

Scottish Borders Council has granted Energise Galashiels Trust permission to erect a fenced-off wheelie bin store on land south of 63 Bank Street.

Unsightly bins have long been seen as a blot on the landscape at the location, particularly in an area of floral displays.

In a letter of support, Angela Crow, a spokesperson for the applicant, said: “This project to install a small bin store in Bank Street was identified as actionable through public consultation for the Tapestry Way Study.

“Untidy wheelie bins were, and are, recognised as being unsightly throughout Galashiels, and particularly in this area where the floral displays are rightly recognised as being a great asset to the town.

“It has always been the intention, and desire, of Energise Galashiels Trust that the design of this enclosure would aesthetically be more in keeping with the soft landscaping of the public garden area, rather than an extension to the building adjacent to the proposed site of the bin store.”