Knotweed tackled

An infestation of Japanese knotweed has been reported in a Southwell park.

The weed, a bamboo-like plant that can cause damage to properties, is illegal to plant or to cause to grow in the wild.

At a meeting of Southwell Town Council’s finance and policy committee, chairman Mr Peter Harris said the plant had been spotted at Froggatt’s Field, which is land owned by the council.

The plant spreads rapidly via parts of its stems or underground roots called rhizomes.

Mr Harris believed flooding in July could have washed rhizomes from land upstream, known to contain the plant, on to Froggatt’s Field.

He said: “There is a whole field of it up stream that belongs to one of our landowners.

“With the knotweed on our land we are going to barrier it off so people don’t touch it because as soon as you pick it it can start to spread.”

Mr Harris said the infestation could be treated by injecting the stems with a herbicide.

He said: “It’s very cheap to do in terms of materials but very expensive in terms of time because you have to inject every single stem.”

Mr Harris said it was possible that further infestations may be spotted later.

He said: “We believe the flooding spread it down the Potwell Dyke so it could be much worse.

“I have agreed to walk the Potwell when the plant will be in season to see if we can spot any other plants.”

Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK in 19th Century as an ornamental plant.

Its root systems are known to cause damage to drainage systems, foundations and archaeological remains.

It can also damage Tarmac and pathways as the plant, which can grow up 10cms a day, pushes its way through.

Environmentalists are also concerned about the impact the plant could have on native species.