Invasive weeds - who is in control?
Who should you look to for advice about invasive weed problems? A fairly simple question but without straightforward answers:
The obvious answer to who should you look to for advice must be the Environment Agency (EA) – however the Agency’s main remit is flood control and water management: they do not have the funding to allocate huge resource to Invasive Weed Control.
It is a common misconception that if you spot or have Japanese Knotweed (JK) on site you must report it to the EA, this is incorrect. Yes the EA will give you a copy of their Code of Practice and yes they will give advice if you get hold of the right person BUT there is no centralised reporting strategy which gives clear coherent advice on exactly what you should do.
Currently it is not an offence to have JK within your site boundary and nobody can make you do anything about it. It is only when the japanese knotweed grows beyond a site boundary in to adjacent property that the law becomes an issue.
Changes need to be made if ever we are going to control the on going spread of Invasive weeds – those changes need to be lead by the EA who need additional funding and additional power, and supported by established and experienced companies such as Japanese Knotweed Solutions.
