ACTION is needed to prevent a ‘horrible’ plant species from spiralling out of control and causing serious damage.

This is the view of newly-elected councillor Nigel Balding after reporting an outbreak of Japanese knotweed in Birchwood.

The invasive plant causes millions of pounds worth of damage to roads and buildings across the country each year, particularly at this time of year.

Knotweed is unusual in that fact that it does not spread by seed, instead spreading through sections of broken plant being transported to new locations, either through fly tipping or being carried by wind and water.

Cllr Nigel Balding reported a knotweed outbreak among the new infrastructure for Birchwood Way in April last year.

Although the plant was sprayed once as a result, bits were missed, leading to the problem escalating ‘out of control’.

As a new Conservative member of Warrington Borough Council for Birchwood following last month’s election, Cllr Balding is keen to see if procedures can be improved to deal with the issue.

Warrington Guardian:

He said: “I am hoping Conservative councillors on WBC will propose a policy on Japanese knotweed, which is a horrible damaging invasive species.

“If not dealt with quickly, then costs can escalate as it spreads rapidly, growing through roads and buildings along the way.

“Control is not easy though, requiring strong herbicides which are bad for the environment, so the sooner treatment is started the better.

“Landowners such as WBC can be prosecuted if they allow it to spread – a situation which is imminent now on Birchwood Way.

“Reporting Japanese knotweed seems difficult to do on WBC’s website, so I would encourage everyone to persist as soon as they are aware of a problem, looking under the section ‘report a problem with weeds’ or contact myself.”

Knotweed dies back in winter, storing up energy in underground tubers, so treating it usually requires the application of herbicides to the stems and leaves.

Councils including Wirral already have working policies for knotweed, which include three treatments each year for at least three years to hopefully eradicate the plant.