Weed Control

The Council applies 3 to 4 applications (depending on weed growth) of herbicide at strategic points in the year to address weed growth in the carriageway and on the footway. Each application takes approximately one week to complete and up to 10 days to take effect.

Ragwort

This Defra booklet gives guidance about disposing of ragwort: Guidance on the disposal options for common ragwort

Japanese Knotweed/Non Native Invasive Species

Japanese Knotweed is a large perennial plant, native to eastern Asia. It has been classified as an invasive species in several countries and costs the UK £150 million each year to treat.

Identifying Japanese Knotweed factsheet (pdf, 4.5 MB)(opens new window).

Your property

There are two main ways of treating Japanese Knotweed in your garden:

• Chemical controls (pdf, 20 KB)(opens new window)
• Non-Chemical controls (pdf, 35 KB)(opens new window)

Do

• follow all good advice provided through the Environment Agency and Defra
• make sure that herbicides are used safely and correctly
• speak to your neighbours and work together to get rid of the Japanese Knotweed and share the costs
• ensure that any cuttings are disposed of correctly

Don’t

• put cuttings in your green waste or compost bin
• put cuttings in your wheelie bin (or any other kerbside bin/box)
• fly tip cuttings
• accept topsoil from sources that have not been checked for Knotweed rhizome
• ignore or delay. Early identification and treatment is essential

If you have Japanese Knotweed on your land you may be causing a private nuisance to surrounding properties. A private nuisance case could be brought against you by members of the public or land owning agent in the civil court. For advice, please speak to your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

Other people's private property

The council has no legal enforcement powers it can use against landowners who do not deal with Japanese Knotweed growing on their land.

In the first instance you should speak to the landowner to address the problem.

It is the landowner’s responsibility to control Japanese Knotweed effectively. It is in your best interests to treat this and any other invasive species on your own property.

Council land

If Japanese Knotweed is found on highway land, please contact Essex Highways on 0345 603 7631.  If on Brentwood Borough land (parks and amenity greens) we will treat it chemically between May and October each year. We only treat Japanese Knotweed between these months as this is when the weed is most receptive to treatment but we will take reports throughout the year. The treatment process can take three to four years to be successful.

If you have identified Japanese Knotweed on what you believe is Brentwood Borough Council land, please email to enquiries@brentwood.gov.uk  and or phone 01277 312500.

Council tenants

We can in many cases also treat council tenants' front and back gardens at the request of Housing Services. If as a council tenant you feel that Japanese Knotweed is in your property please report to Housing Services in the first instance on 01277 312500 or email enquiries@brentwood.gov.uk

Network Rail

If you believe that Japanese Knotweed is growing on land owned, managed and maintained by Network Rail (this includes railway tracks and property both used and disused) then you can it report directly to Network Rail on 08457 11 41 41.

Please see the links below for more information

Harmful weeds and Invasive non native plants

Home Office info for Japanese Knotweed and other invasive non-native plants