Lancashire orchid bud gets police protection

Hundreds of people visit the orchid on Silverdale Golf Course each year

Britain's rarest wild flower will receive police protection from thieves when it blooms later this month at a Lancashire golf course.

The single Lady's Slipper orchid is due to flower on Silverdale Golf Course, Carnforth, where it is visited by hundreds of enthusiasts each year.
Police are setting up extra patrols to try to prevent damage and theft.
They may also install CCTV and tag it with a dye to deter thieves intent on stealing cuttings worth up to £5,000.
The protected orchid, whose Latin name is Cypripedium calceolus, has been illegally cut twice in the past six years.
It is believed to have been planted on the course in the 1800s, and is thought to be from central Europe.