Pictures: These are officially the best kept villages in Milton Keynes

Two proud and immaculate communities inMilton Keyneshave both been awarded the covetedBest Kept Village in Buckstitle.

The Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire,Countess Howe, and the judges from the competition visited Castlethorpe and Weston Underwood on Saturday to present the trophies.

Castlethorpe, which has a population of around 1,100, scored an incredible 198 out of a possible 200 to win the Morris cup for best kept larger villages.

Weston Underwood, which has just 230 residents, had an equally high score to scoop Gurney Cup in the small village category.

Judges could not choose between the two for the Best Overall Village title, so the chairman of the competition made the decision that the Sword of Excellence trophy should be shared for six months each, starting with Weston Underwood.

Castlethorpe is a village set in rolling countryside seven miles north of Milton Keynes city centre and close to the boundary with Northamptonshire. It lies on the northern edge of the Tove River Valley, which is designated as being landscape of Special Character.

Weston Underwood is formerly a hamlet belonging to nearby Olney but now has its own proud identity.

It’s parish council website states: “There are many reasons why Weston Underwood is so very interesting. It is a deceptively sleepy looking village in which houses are rarely seen for sale. The local community is well- grounded, long established and extremely protective of their village...”

View our special gallery of photos to discover why both the villages are so special.