DIVORCEE Sandra Withnall has won a bouquet of flowers in a national competition to find Britain's most unromantic man.

The 52-year-old was handed the posy after telling contest judges her ex-husband had bought her a spade for Christmas.

They felt sorry for her and gave her the prize after deciding her garden should be coming up roses again.

But her former hubby was not unromantic enough to win her the top award -- a £2,000 holiday to anywhere she wanted to go in the world.

Mother-of-two Sandra, who lives in Heaton, said: "I never expected to win, but then again I never expected to get a spade for Christmas." Thousands of women across the country entered the contest, which was organised by the Flower Council of Holland. The council, which promotes the Dutch flower industry, sent leaflets to florists asking them to say why their fellas were so unromantic.

Sandra, a regular visitor to Peter and Margaret's Florist on Chorley Old Road, wrote simply: "He bought me a lady's spade for Christmas to make digging the garden easier for me."

She was too modest to reveal her ex-husband's name but she said: "To be honest it's quite a good spade. I like gardening and it's very light so I use it quite a lot.

"But I was hoping to get a dress or tickets to the theatre or a present that was a little less practical instead." Sandra's former husband denied he was unromantic adding: "I thought it would be quite a good present because she always liked gardening. But I also bought her lots of other things as well."

Has the woman or man in your life ever bought you a present you wished they had left in the shop? Contact the newsdesk with your unromantic stories, tel: Bolton 537270 or 537271.