AN INVASIVE plant found at two Wallingford beauty spots is to be tackled in a five-year programme.

Japanese Knotweed – which is notoriously difficult to get rid of – has been found on the Kinecroft, and on the Castle Mound at Wallingford Castle Gardens.

After discovering the tenacious weed, town councillors have hired a firm to get rid of the plant, which can damage the foundations of buildings.

The presence of the plant can reduce property values.

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The Kinecroft is the venue for Bunkfest, Wallingford’s biggest annual festival, while in June the English Civil War Society will use Wallingford Castle Meadows for a battle re-enactment.

Town clerk Jamie Baskeyfield said the firm Elcot Environmental had been hired for a five-year programme of treatment and monitoring, costing about £3,220.

He said the town council had initially consulted staff at Wallingford environmental firm CABI, as scientists there are training insects to eat the knotweed, which can undermine buildings with its powerful roots.

Mr Baskeyfield added: “CABI staff are trialling a sap-sucking bug which is being cultured to control knotweed but at the moment there are only trialling it on DEFRA-approved sites.

“We need to eliminate the knotweed from our open spaces, so we have hired another firm to deal with this and the treatment has already started.

“You can’t just blitz this in one go — we need to keep monitoring so that’s why we have set up a five-year programme.”

Independent county councillor for Wallingford and town councillor Lynda Atkins said: “We don’t want knotweed to be invading our neighbours’ properties any more than we want it in our own.

“Paying for this treatment is money well spent because it is not just our own property we are protecting.”

Town councillor and former mayor Ros Lester added: “Japanese Knotweed is beautiful to look at but is so invasive under the ground – it can grow up through concrete so we need to tackle it.”

As part of the treatment, Swindon- based Elcot will use a herbicide then remove plants eight weeks later before incinerating them.

What is it?

Japanese Knotweed is a strong-growing plant that can spread quickly. It was introduced from Japan in 1825 as an ornamental plant but its rapid growth can suppress other plants. 

An amendment to the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 hopes to tackle the weed and other non-native and invasive plants. 

Although not illegal to have it in your garden, people should aim to control the plant to prevent it becoming a problem in their neighbourhood.

If it is found to have a “detrimental effect of a persistent or continuing nature on the quality of life of those in the locality”, then the legislation can be used to enforce its control.

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