KNOTTY PROBLEM FOR WOLVO HOSPITAL

26-06-2007

Never mind the dangers of MRSA or the recent round of redundancies, Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital is grappling with a new crisis…the onset of Japanese knotweed.

Local councillor Phil Bateman reports that this horticultural invader is taking over on the footpaths in and around the hospital.

He quotes one local resident who claims that the situation is “totally out of control.”

Japanese knotweed was introduced to Britain in the 19th Century and shades out native species because of its overhanging leaves.

It's such a threatening presence that deliberately spreading it is against the law - specifically the Wildlife And Countryside Act 1981 - and Bateman is now demanding action:

“I shall be contacting the City Council urging them to intervene with the hospital authorities to identify where the plant is growing and ask them to exterminate it.”

Ever had a problem with Japanese Knotweed in your garden?

Leave a comment in the Miscellanous Section of our Message Board.