DIY stores review weedkillers after landmark US ruling

ROUNDUP weedkiller could be pulled from British shelves after a US court ruled the chemical contributed to a man’s terminal cancer.

Homebase, one of the UK’s largest DIY retailers, was the first retailer to announce it is re- viewing the sale of Roundup and Ranger Pro in the wake of the landmark case in California, and others are expected to follow.

“We have confirmed that we will be reviewing our range of weedkiller products,” Homebase said, while B&Q have started a review of garden products.

Dewayne Johnson was awarded $289m (£226m) on Friday by a state jury who found manufacturer Monsanto had failed to adequately warn of the risks of using Roundup, which contains the world’s most widely-used herbicide, glyphosate.

The school groundsman’s lawyers said he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, having used Roundup and a similar Monsanto product, Ranger Pro, in large quantities while working.

The jury also found that company officials acted with “malice and oppression” in their selling of the product despite its risks being known.

Labour’s Tom Watson said on Twitter that the verdict has “huge implications for the food chain”.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government’s priority is the protection of people and the environment. Decisions on the use of pesticides should be based on a careful scientific assessment of the risks.

“Once outside the EU, we will continue to make decisions on pesticides based on the best available science.”