Art students have come to the rescue of a Thetford allotment adding a splash of colour to the site.

Sarah Adams and Cally Murgatroyd from Thetford Academy have taken on a storage container and tea shed at the Mundford Road allotments for their A-Level art project.

The 17-year-olds, who are studying for their A-Levels, spent Monday and Tuesday transforming the dark green, metal containers with scenes from the allotments.

Their designs are based on sketches made from flowers, vegetables and chickens found on the site.

Cally said: 'We chose the designs because we felt they fitted in.

'We used things we could see within the allotment.'

A huge red poppy now covers the front of one of the containers along with runner beans and radishes.

Head of art at Thetford Academy Steve Mead said he had encouraged the students to get involved with the community art project.

'It is all based on their own designs and it is good for both the school and the community,' he said.

Last year art students from the academy also revamped the mural in the underpass on Mundford Road to Gary Smith who died after being hit by a car in November 2000 aged 12 while walking to Rosemary Musker.

The paints used to revamp the mural are they same used by the girls for the allotment project.

The idea to team up with the school came from allotment liaison officer for Thetford Town Council, Tony Gale, who thought it would be a good idea to get art students to do up the container sheds.

And Elaine Browne from the Mundford Road allotments asked Mr Mead whether any students would be keen to help as she is a cleaner at the school.

Mrs Browne said: 'We gave them free rein to paint but it had to be related to allotments.'

The site is also keen to push other community projects and has recently taken delivery of bee hives to help the bee population.

In September it also plans to hold a Macmillan Coffee morning.

The painting comes weeks after some of the allotments were vandalised.

In June fences and gates were damaged while glass panes of a greenhouse were smashed.

Anti-climbing paint has been put on the on the perimeter fence to stop break-ins.