I get a strange thrill when invasive species make the national press, mainly
because it makes me glad that the issues they cause are receiving the attention
they deserve.
A while ago, I blogged about Japanese Knotweed in my hometown of Hemel Hempstead, and how essentially its a beastly plant that can grow through
concrete, causing great deals of damage, and prove very difficult to eradicate.
This week, the UK has now stepped up its efforts to counter this powerful
plant, with the Home Office announcing that if you fail to control Japanese
Knotweed in your residential area, you can be fined up to £2500. Failure to
control Japanese Knotweed is to be considered 'antisocial behaviour' and will result
in an on the spot penalty of £100. Organisations could be fined up to £20,000.
And I think this is fantastic. It is definitely bad form to have a harmful
plant growing in your garden and do nothing about it. The new guidance is
especially for residential areas, with the aim that people will report their
neighbours if Japanese Knotweed is invading their garden
Never before in the UK have plants been specifically considered to be part
of antisocial behaviour guidance, which we normally associate with playing
music too loud or intimidating people within the community.
Japanese Knotweed clearance in the UK has been extremely costly. Clearing
just 10 acres of the Olympic Park cost £70 million, and £1.25 billion has been
spent in total on eradication. So stepping up the effort to eradicate it in
residential areas is an absolute necessity.
Other invasive plants such as Himalayan Balsam and Giant hogweed are also
being addressed in these new laws.
Over and out
The Invader Inspector
Full story available here
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