In the UK, we are some distance from the real nasty members of the plant world of the Amazon, but we do have our own rogues’ gallery.
- Giant Hogweed
- Foxglove
- Hemlock
- Himalayan Balsam
- Japanese Knotweed
- Poison Ivy
- Yew
All the plants above grow across the UK and they are probably living close to you. They can not only cause your property some major technical problems that will prove costly but can also be very harmful to your health.
Due to the nature of these plants they have be put on the “ASBO plant-equivalent” – the Noxious Weeds UK list. Plants on this registry must be monitored and are required to be controlled by chemical or other means. Having Japanese knot weed on your property can lead to various issues: on a home report it would stop a mortgage application in its tracks; on a development site it would stop works until it was contained or removed.
The cost of chemically treating most of these is not overly onerous but can take up to several years to eradicate completely.
Regardless of what type of site is your responsibility; if you have any of these weeds on-site, you have a duty of care to deal with them. Over the past two decades, Inex Works has been heavy involved in all aspects of identifying and dealing with these types of rogue weeds.
We know altruistically no business wants harm to come to other people’s property or, worse, themselves or their animals. Realistically, causing injury to someone or their pet through lack of awareness or maintenance, is also an open door to lawsuits in these litigious times.
Click here to request a site visit to assess your potential risk.