A GROUP has been set up to help people deal with the notoriously invasive Japanese Knotweed.
UK trade body the Property Care Association has launched a group dedicated to the removal and control of the weed, which was introduced to Britain during the 19th century as an ornamental plant.
The association has been working with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors – supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and The Building Societies Association – together with Japanese Knotweed control companies that currently operate within the UK, to develop the Invasive Weed Control Group.
It coincides with the publication of new guidance from RICS entitled Japanese Knotweed and Residential Property.
The guidance – along with the development of the association’s Invasive Weed Control Group to signpost consumers to professional treatment companies – now offers assurance and certainty in tackling the problem.
Stephen Hodgson, PCA general manager, said: “Ultimately this work has drawn together a set of standards that will ensure consumers in Hemel Hempstead can identify companies that have the skills, infrastructure, knowledge and integrity to eliminate this troublesome weed properly and cost-effectively.”
Dacorum Borough Council’s operations manager Simon Coultas said managing the weed on private land is the responsibility of the owner/occupier of the site.
“While there is no statutory requirement to control/eradicate this invasive, nor is it necessary to report its presence, it is prudent to take action to control its spread quickly,” he said.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to plant or cause Japanese Knotweed to grow in the wild.