Shoppers remained divided over the condition of the plants being sold in a supermarket at a clearance price of just 1 pence.

ChronicleLive reports that a photo shared to the Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK group on Facebook showed shelves of plants in deplorable condition that had been reduced by £6.50 at B&M. The image of the plants withered and dry sparked a debate in the comments section, with some supermarkets slamming while others came to their defense and encouraged shoppers to buy the plants.

Denise Mitsides, who spotted the 1p plants at a B&M branch in Cramlington, Northumberland, said she had seen other supermarkets commit similar offenses in relation to the plants and criticized their ‘wasteful’ nature . She said: “Besides being a waste of plants, it’s the disposal of pots of plants that go to landfill.”

“What an absolute waste of resources,” one person agreed. “These plants cost money, water, electricity and transportation costs to allow them to wither and die.”

A second Facebook user agrees: “I’m really sick of seeing dead plants on carts and outside stores. What a total waste of money for businesses because staff don’t bother to water them.

“These stores should know their limits and stop selling plants,” fumed another commenter. But others with experience working at B&M and other stores have spoken up to defend themselves against the criticism.

A supermarket worker explained: “I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to look after potted plants in a store. We have a very strict process to follow, but even our best efforts are often not enough.

Several other store staff members stepped in to agree. “Some stores have such volumes of stock sent out with so few staff to oversee their upkeep that this happens sometimes. It is as frustrating for us as it is for the customer to see such waste,” another worker added.

Elsewhere in the comments section, avid gardeners have suggested that even plants that seemed unsalvageable could be brought back to life. “Cut it and leave the pots in the water. It’s amazing how resilient plants can be,” one person suggested.

“I get so much out of my plants this way,” said another. “Take a punt and at worst I paid 1p for a flowerpot.”

A third added: “My garden is full of them, with a good size and plenty of water, they will come back better than before!”

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