Folkestone’s sprucer scheme has been handed a lifeline but only until the end of October.

Town councillors last night decided to provide funding to keep it going through the summer.

Before the meeting, the future of the successful and popular work carried out by Pete Phillips hung in the balance as councillors decided whether to approve funding or not.

The money is being provided through the town council’s grants scheme and cleaner environments budget.

Funds have run perilously low in recent weeks and the scheme was in real danger of ending.

Mr Phillips, who is self-employed through the scheme, carries out odd jobs around the town such as cleaning graffiti, clearing vegetation from footpaths, painting railings and bollards with a team of volunteers.

A statement from the town council said today: "Council is always very conscious of the risk of double taxation and therefore also considered how the £25,000 scheme overlapped with Shepway District Council’s litter contract with Veolia which is based on a service specification linked to response times."

Councillors have commissioned a report to find out if it would be possible to set up its own scheme similar to the idea for the next financial year starting in April 2016.

Sprucer organiser and co-founder David Taylor said: "We’re very pleased with the decision and it gives us a breathing space."