Chesterfield's 'awful' Princess Diana tribute mocked Published duration 12 September 2017

media caption Chesterfield Borough Council said it hoped the design would bring more people to the town.

A floral tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, displayed as part of a town's well dressing celebrations, has been described as "horrific" and "awful".

The memorial displayed in Chesterfield Market Place marks the 20th anniversary of the death of the princess.

However, the portrait has been mocked on social media, with some saying it looked more like Worzel Gummidge.

Chesterfield Borough Council said it hoped the design would bring more people to the town.

The authority published the pictures of the memorial on its Facebook page earlier, attracting mixed reviews.

image copyright chesterfield Borough Council image caption The floral tribute was installed in Chesterfield Market Place

image copyright Getty Images image caption Some have likened the portrait to the TV character Worzel Gummidge

Gayla Tuckley thought it was an "insult to Diana", while Catherine Bunten commented she was "crying with laughter".

Richard Wilkins said it looked more like Worzel Gummidge, a living scarecrow played by Jon Pertwee, in the children's 1979 TV show, while Julie White commented: "I appreciate all the work that goes into the dressing of a well but this is just awful."

The pictures have since gone viral, provoking many more comments, including one by Welbeck Kane who said: "I live here [Chesterfield] and, let me tell you, I can feel its eyes on me, even now in my house."

image copyright PA image caption Many people said the portrait looked nothing like the princess

A spokesman for the authority said: "The well dressing is produced by 14 volunteers using the ancient Derbyshire art of well dressing, which involves creating designs from flower petals and other natural materials.

"All art is meant to be a talking point and that certainly seems to be the case with this year's design.

"The well dressing is designed to attract visitors to the area and if the publicity encourages more people to come and experience our historic market town and local shops then that can only be good for Chesterfield."

The well dressings are on display until Saturday.

image copyright Facebook image caption Many comments were posted on the council's Facebook page about the memorial