A FAMILY have had their garden officially declared the second ugliest in the country.

Gary Blackwell’s rubble-strewn patch was awarded second place in a national campaign to find the country’s biggest garden disasters.

Gary, a butcher, who moved into his property earlier this year with wife Stacey and four-year-old son Brody, said: “When we moved in it was basically a bombsite, it was in an awful condition.

“The garden was overgrown, stuff was just left on the ground. The pond had been turned into a dumping ground. It was a nightmare.

“It is a pain in the bum moving in to such a disastrous garden, but it is a great opportunity to make something better for our growing family.”

He said the garden had been untidy when they first looked at the house in Brodrick Road, Eastbourne, but the hot summer had accelerated weed growth out of control.

Gary, 37, said: “I’m interested in gardening but we’ve not had the space before.

“We’ve been asking friends and family if anyone can help out because it’s just a mammoth task.

“I would like to give my son Brody everything that my mum wasn’t able to give me when I was a kid.

“We’re planning to have a sunken trampoline where the pond is, and we also want to build a play area.

“We’re looking forward to turning this around and making something really nice.”

The search for the country’s worst garden was carried out by tool company Ryobi, which is based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

It picked one in Stoke on Trent as the winner.