Japanese knotweed found in Coventry garden

Japanese knotweed found in Coventry garden

Postby dutchman » Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:18 pm

Residents in a Coventry street where the dreaded Japanese Knotweed has been found have been warned they could be fined thousands of pounds if they don’t stop it spreading.

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Coventry City Council has sent letters to people living in Charter Avenue, Canley, reminding them to keep the problematic plant under control - or face a fine of £2,500, with businesses and organisations open to a maximum £20,000 penalty.

Residents with the weed in their gardens are being urged to keep a record of their attempts to get rid of it, so they can prove they have taken action.

The troublesome weed has a root system which can extend up to three metres in depth and seven metres in all directions and grow into building foundations and drains, causing serious structural damage.

It is not easy to get rid of, with the fast-growing weed needing to be sprayed with herbicides for up to three years while the plant or any soil containing it must be disposed of by a licensed waste carrier at an appropriate waste site.

A letter from Joy Adams, environment and housing enforcement manager, at the city council, has gone to homes in Charter Avenue.

The letter says: “Whilst it is not illegal to have Japanese Knotweed in your garden, owners have a legal responsibility to take control of the weed so as to restrict its spread into other residents’ gardens.

"I would therefore ask residents to check their gardens for the presence of the weed. I enclose an information sheet to assist residents in identifying the weed.

“Any residents finding the weed in their garden will need to take action to ensure they are suitably controlling the weed.

"I would suggest that residents should keep a log on what treatments have been used and when they have been applied as this will provide evidence that residents are taking responsibility to control the weed.

“Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, Local Authorities can now issue land owners with a Community Protection Notice to formally require them to control the spread of Japanese Knotweed on their land.

“We would however only consider this action where residents are taking no action, and as a result this is causing knotweed to significantly spread onto neighbouring land.”

Japanese Knotweed’s root system can cause structural damage to houses.

A spokesman for the council said: “If the community protection notice is breached then it would be a criminal offence and carries up to a maximum penalty of £2,500 for individuals or £20,000 in the case of organisations.

However, we’re trying to help residents be able to identify it and encourage them to work together to treat it. We’d only consider a CPN if no action to remove it was being taken.”

The city council has got information about Japanese Knotweed on its website.

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Re: Japanese knotweed found in Coventry garden

Postby dutchman » Mon Apr 11, 2016 11:33 pm

City residents warned about return of unwanted Japanese Knotweed

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CITY residents are being warned about the return of Japanese Knotweed in areas of the city following one of the mildest winters on record.

Coventry City Council had to hand out anti-social behaviour orders when the unwanted imposter was discovered in parts of Coventry last November – in an attempt to control the plant spreading.

But now a new warning has been issued on a national scale after red shoots were discovered in parts of the UK in late March following one the mildest, yet damp, winters on record.

Changes in legislation have given local authorities the power to take legal action against the owners of private land where Japanese Knotweed are invading neighbouring properties.

Coventry City Council has advised residents to deal with the problem as quickly as possible if they believe to have Japanese Knotweed in their garden by informing neighbours about the problem.

In some cases, the presence of knotweed has devalued properties by as much as 50 per cent.

Introduced into the UK from Japan in the 1840s as an ornamental plant, Japanese Knotweed is now one of the UK’s most invasive plant species.

The heart-leaved, red-speckled stemmed plant can spread into and destroy or damage other gardens – and even walls and buildings.

With reports of the plant shooting up early this year in parts of Britain already, Nic Seal, managing director of knotweed removal specialist Environet, said: “When the knotweed hibernates over the winter, it’s out of sight and out of mind.

“But soon, knotweed will start to grow again at a spectacular rate.”

The issue has become so severe that it’s now a legal duty for people to disclose whether the property is affected by Japanese Knotweed.

For more information about dealing with Japanese Knotweed, visit http://www.coventry.gov.uk/japaneseknotweed

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