Furious Worcester residents claim that Japanese knotweed has taken over a park and is creeping toward homes like a scene from the horror film “The Day of the Triffids.”
The fast-growing plant that has established itself in Brickfields Park, a section of King George V Playing Fields, has caused concern among the locals who claim the council has ignored their repeated requests for assistance.
They claim that the unsightly weed, which has spread into their homes and reached a height of six feet in the park, needs to be removed.
Dennis Hodson, a retired gardener, resides in a £200,000 cottage in Tunnel Hill that backs up to fields.
The 73-year-old claimed that after informing municipal staff of the issue, nothing has been done to address it.
The knotweed, he claimed, “has run wild in the park and is now coming up in our gardens, including mine, which is only 20 metres away.”
It kind of feels like a nightmare.
It’s getting to be about six feet tall in the park, and despite my attempts to contact the council, they haven’t taken any action.
“The plant is about to go to seed, which will spread it further.” Acting is best done right away.
I also spoke with park groundskeepers, and they assured me that they had nothing to do with the incident.
They used to cut it back two or three years ago, but they aren’t even doing that anymore because it will never go away.
Using a potent weed killer, I was able to get rid of it from my borders a few years ago, but it keeps coming back.
A different local called the current problem “a scene from The Day of the Triffids.”
They said, “The knotweed just keeps creeping closer and closer to our dwellings.”
The combination of the extremely hot heat and the subsequent heavy rain has simply caused things to get out of hand. It looks like a scene from The Day of the Triffids.
We’re all concerned about the effect it’s having on the value of our homes, but the council is doing nothing to help.
“I most definitely wouldn’t want to purchase a home that may be invaded by this animal,” the buyer said.
One of the most prevalent invasive species in the UK is Japanese knotweed.
The plant, which was brought to the UK from Japan in 1825, has the potential to grow up to 10 cm per day and harm infrastructure if it is not controlled and clipped back.
Once established, the weed can be very challenging to eradicate; as a result, professionals regard the cuttings as authorised hazardous waste.
It can be extremely challenging for property owners to get a mortgage or sell their home if marijuana is present on the land.
The playing grounds will soon be visited by specially trained employees, according to a Worcester City Council representative, in an effort to address the issue.
We are aware that Japanese knotweed is spreading at King George V Playing Fields, and in the upcoming days, members of our carefully qualified team will inject the stems of the plants, they stated.
It will take a few weeks for them to die off, so we’ll treat them again next year and again in a month to make sure the problem is resolved.
“Residents can get in touch with us, and we can treat it appropriately,” the sign reads, “if this Japanese knotweed has spread from the playing fields to properties.”