Ministers beaten by knotweed
IT is almost impossible to destroy and can even penetrate through concrete and brick walls.
Now Japanese knotweed’s relentless spread has forced the Government to admit defeat in its war against the plant, as they claim it would cost more than £1.5billion to try to eradicate it.
The news will come as a blow to homeowners whose houses are blighted by the weed, as it often lowers the prices of properties where it is found. Environment minister George Eustice admitted that decades of research have not found an effective way of tackling the menace and said his department has ‘ no plans to attempt a national eradication’.
He added: ‘The cost using current techniques would be prohibitively expensive (estimated to be at least £1.5billion) and likely to be unsuccessful given the widespread distribution of the species.’
The plant, which arrived in Britain from Japan in 1850, spreads rapidly and is extremely difficult to remove. Simply digging it out of the ground is unlikely to work, because if even a tiny section of the roots is left it will quickly grow back.
Herbicides can be effective but only after s everal consecutive years of spray- ing, which can cost thousands of pounds.
Government scientists have tried releasing specially-bred insects into the countryside to kill the plant, but Mr Eustice said that the programme had not worked because the psyllid flies, which are capable of surviving in Japan, had mostly died in the British climate.
‘To date research has not shown significant or sustainable i mpact s , because only small populations of the psyllid have survived in the wild,’ he said.
Last year the Government introduced Anti social Behaviour Orders for homeowners who fail to stop the invasive species spreading outside their own gardens, with a £ 2,500 fine for offenders.
‘Widespread distribution’