Attempts to remove 'the most awful weed' cost Kilkenny resident 'thousands'

​Repeated attempts to remove Japanese Knotweed from a residential garden in Kilkenny cost one local resident ‘thousands’, a local district meeting has heard.

​Cllr Mary Hilda Cavanagh raised the issue and quizzed council officials on whether recourse options were available to mitigate the impact of the invasive weed.

“It’s the most awful weed that God ever allowed to grow in this country,” Cllr Cavanagh said.

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“What do you do if you find it in your garden? I thought it was the Department of the Environment who were responsible at first?”

Martin Prendiville of Kilkenny County Council stated that he would look into the matter and liaise with Frank Stafford of the Projects & Parks Office.

“We will look into the legal position of who is responsible, but I think it’s the landowner in any event,” Mr Prendiville said.

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“We’ll try to get further clarification on the matter.”

Japanese Knotweed is a non-native alien invasive species that is rated among the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world by the Global Invasive Species Programme.

It is believed that the weed was originally introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant in the mid-19th Century but has since spread rapidly throughout Ireland and Britain.

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It is a very fast growing plant that can rapidly outcompete native vegetation and can cause structural damage to foundations and hard standings.

On riverbanks, it can impact flood defence structures, increase flood risks and contribute to soil erosion and sedimentation of rivers.

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Concerningly, the weed can be easily inadvertently spread by disturbance such as through cutting, digging and mowing.

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