Certain weeds are detrimental to buildings and must be eradicated. They can also grow very quickly and overwhelm native plants, which is bad for our eco-systems.
Most unwelcome is Japanese knotweed, which can spread at a ferocious rate and penetrate through concrete causing extensive structural damage. It’s so damaging that it is an offence to plant or cause Japanese knotweed to spread in the wild under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and all waste containing Japanese knotweed comes under the control of Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Go to www.environment-agency.gov.uk for information on identification and how to eradicate it.
Giant hogweed is also listed in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which means it’s an offence to plant it in the wild. Any contact with the plant can cause severe skin irritation. The plant can grow to 5m tall and the seed heads contain up to 50,000 seeds, which can stay dormant for up to 15 years.
Other plants listed by Natural England and named in the Weeds Act 1959 are: common ragwort, spear thistle, creeping or field thistle, curled dock and broad-leaved dock. It is not an offence to have them in your garden or on your land but you must not allow them to spread onto agricultural land as they are poisonous to animals.
It is very important when treating Japanese Knotweed that you contact the landowner of any land that neighbours yours. It is quite possible that they also have an infestation which could spread to your land over time. In a ideal situation all infestations within your lands proximity will be treated at the same time. That way the chance of the Japanese Knotweed spreading is vastly reduced.
If you have an infestation Knotweed Services UK always recommend taking action as soon as you can. The quicker we know the quicker we can create your personal management plan and begin eradicating your Japanese Knotweed infestation!
Original article from: https://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Garden-perils-hit-sale-cost-dear/story-19533991-detail/story.html#ixzz2ZrSGjiNh
