A homeowner from London has claimed nearly £30,000 after Japanese knotweed, the invasive plant introduced to the UK in the mid1800's, encroached onto their property from one of their neighbours. Knotweed has a long history of devaluing homes up and down the country as a result of its deep, fast-growing root system damaging surrounding land.

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Since its introduction to the UK in the 19th century, Japanese knotweed has been a real nuisance for people, businesses, buildings and the environment. As a result of its devastating and invasive nature, it has caused hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of pounds worth of damage to roads, infrastructure and local ecosystems, resulting in tremendous amounts of repair work and logistical nightmares.

This has lead to several legislative movements with laws put in place here in the UK to control the spread of Japanese knotweed, focusing on how it is stored, destroyed and reproduced. Since these laws have passed, people and businesses across the UK now understand how they are able to manage knotweed and what options are available to them if they were to come across, but are these laws the same across other countries?

We’re here to find out! So, read on to learn about how Japanese knotweed is controlled and managed throughout the world.

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Almost every workplace has had to make adjustments to continue trading during the COVID-19 pandemic, including us. As you know, we're still offering our wide range of Japanese knotweed and ground maintenance services so that you can keep your premises free of invasive weeds. In order to carry out our services safely, we've had to put a few new procedures in place. Here you can read all about them!

Testing Staff

All of the staff that we send out to work outside your homes are COVID-19 tested on a regular basis. This helps us to make sure they're not bringing the virus into our offices or to your doorstep. 

Observing Safety Guidelines

Much like the rest of the country, we constantly have one eye on the ever-changing government guidelines. This helps us to make sure that our practices and procedures are always up to date. We've made lots of different tweaks and changes to the way we work so that we can provide you with the safest possible services. All of our staff members are wearing masks when they're around people, sticking to social distancing guidelines, and keeping their hands, vans, and equipment clean.

Telephone/Email Arrangements

To limit our contact with you as much as possible, we're contacting a lot of our customers over the phone or via email to arrange their treatments. Our friendly team of staff is on hand to answer any questions you may have, rather than arranging face-to-face visits. 

Contact-Free Visits

One of the great things about Japanese knotweed treatments, grounds maintenance, and tree/shrub removal is that all of these services take place outside. This means we can attend your property and get the job done without even knocking on your door. Of course, we have missed catching up with you over a cup of tea, but we'll have plenty of time for that in the future when things go back to normal. For now, we'll do our bit to keep your garden looking its best while you put your feet up indoors.

Staff Separation

Another way that we're keeping you and our staff safe is by insisting that our staff travel to your homes in separate vehicles. Where this isn't possible, we've set up vans with safety screens, separating the front and back portions. Don't worry, we've kitted them up with walkie-talkies so they can still chat amongst each other on the longer journeys. Keeping our staff physically separated on journeys is just another way that we're implementing safe COVID-19 practices while we work.

So there you have it, a little insight into some of the different ways that we're working safely during lockdown. If you'd like us to treat Japanese knotweed, unwanted shrubs, or vegetation on your property, please get in touch!

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Japanese knotweed is not only a notoriously invasive and destructive species, but it's also very difficult to remove. The reason it's so hard to get rid of is because regrowth is very common, as it only takes a tiny fragment of the rhizome root to be left in the soil for a whole new plant to grow. This makes the removal process quite lengthy and costly.

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Japanese knotweed frequently causes house sales to fall through. This problematic plant tends to make mortgage providers very nervous indeed, and it's common for lenders to pull out when a surveyor discovers Fallopia japonica within (or near) the property's boundaries.

Can I Get a Mortgage on a Property with Japanese Knotweed?

A customer of ours in Caerphilly recently experienced this first hand. Paul Flynn thought he had found a buyer for his property, but his good mood was spoiled when the other party's surveyor reported that there was Japanese knotweed within a few metres of the house. The lender warned that, unless Mr Flynn sought a comprehensive treatment plan (complete with an insurance-backed guarantee), the transaction would not go ahead.

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