The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Fears over poisonous plant spreading on school route
Danger: Mum blasts council over giant hogweed – which can cause burns
An Aberdeenshire mum has raised concerns children could be harmed by a poisonous weed that has spread onto a path that leads to a school.
Claire McPherson, from Whiteford, Pitcaple, noticed giant hogweed had been sprouting on road sides in the local area, including the walkway that leads to her five-year-old son’s school at Logie Durno.
The tall and white-flowering giant hogweed can grow close to 20ft tall and contains a highly poisonous liquid which can cause severe burns and blistering and potentially lead to Lyme’s Disease. The council’s landscaping team has now visited the area and is in the process of tackling the weed.
But Mrs McPherson – who also has a two-year-old son Jake – believes the problem should have been dealt with before now.
She said: “I’ve noticed it growing by the local burn and also spreading onto streets and pavements.
“A few weeks ago I called the council after it started growing onto a car park and they came out and dealt with it. But now it’s on the way up to the school and it’s only going to be a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
“It’s just laziness that they have left it to get like this – I think it’s disgusting.
“If anyone came here to look they would see it’s growing everywhere. It’s not my job to keep an eye out for hogweed.”
The weed was first brought to Britain from central Asia at the end of the 19th century as an ornamental plant, but has become an invasive species.
Last night, Aberdeenshire Council said it had already sent teams out to kill the weed. A spokeswoman said: “Landscaping services were only made aware of this today and have now sprayed the weeds and removed the flowering pods.”