PROFESSIONAL JAPANESE KNOTWEED REMOVAL SPECIALIST · JAPANESE KNOTWEED Japanese knotweed is a species that rapidly grows to an impressive height of 2-3 metres (6-10 feet) in a single

PROFESSIONAL JAPANESE KNOTWEED REMOVAL SPECIALIST

Japanese Knotweed Ltd - www.japaneseknotweed.co.uk

Since its introduction to the UK, Japanese knotweed has caused untold millions of pounds worth of damage to buildings, walls, paving, tarmac, concrete, drainage systems and flood defences. To ignore it, or to treat it incorrectly, can prove far more costly in the long term.

If left unchecked, or treated and/or disposed of incorrectly, it can spread beyond its current site

of origin and infest other properties. Such an event could lead the landowner of the original infestation to becoming subject to legal action. You have a legal obligation not to cause knotweed to spread from your land if it occurs on your land. The longer it is allowed to establish itself, the more costly treatment can become – especially if completion is required by a specific date.

IS AN AGGRESSIVE AND INVASIVE SPECIES OF PLANT THAT COSTS LANDOWNERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND BUILDING DEVELOPERS THOUSANDS OF POUNDS EACH YEAR IN REMOVAL FEES AND PROJECT DELAYS.

JAPANESE KNOTWEEDScientific Name: Fallopia japonicaMaximum Stem height: 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft)

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Spring growth: red/purple

coloured shoots

COMMON PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH JAPANESE KNOTWEED � Damage to paving, tarmac, asphalt, driveways, car parks, etc, as shoots push through them.

� Rhizomes and shoots have been recorded penetrating walls, foundations, land drainage works, flood defence structures and have even been discovered growing under suspended floors, with minimal light.

� Knotweed and the soils containing the rhizome are classed as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

� Density of plant growth can cause the displacement of native flora and fauna and, in urban areas, can reduce light to windows and gardens.

� Access to riverbanks for bank inspection and amenity use can be severely restricted by knotweed stands. In flood areas there is a high risk of spread by dead stems washing into river and stream channels. Removal of established stands can lead to soil erosion and bank instability when these areas are left exposed to the elements.

� Legal action may ensue from allowing knotweed to encroach into neighbouring properties.

� The presence of knotweed on a property can result in a loss of amenity use as well as the risk of structural damage, which devalues the property.

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GROWTH TIMELINE

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July

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January

December

During late autumn/winter the cane dies off and turns brittle. The crown, rhizome and root below ground remain dormant (but alive) throughout the winter.

Orange-to-brown and black winter stems are brittle but remain erect through winter if left undisturbed.

WINTER

In the spring, new growth emerges as rapidly growing soft red/purple shoots reminiscent of asparagus spears. The stems are hollow and bamboo-like and can grow as much as 2 cm per day. This new growth forms dense thickets, known as ‘stands’. The petioles, or leaf stems, are distinctive, with leaf growth on alternate sides producing a zig-zag pattern in the stem. Japanese knotweed grows rapidly to a height of

2-3 metres (6-10 feet) in a single season.

HOW DOESJAPANESEKNOTWEEDGROW?Japanese knotweed does not currently produceviable seeds in the UK, so reproduction is byvegetative regeneration of rhizome, crown or cutstem material.

The rhizomes (the underground stem system of the plant from which new shoots grow) have been recorded, in some cases, extending as far as 7 metres (23 feet) laterally and up to 2-3 metres (6-10 feet) deep.

Very small fragments of rhizome (as little as 0.7 gram– about the size of a fingernail) can give rise to newplants, and fresh stems produce shoots and rootswhen buried in a soil medium or floated in water.

Japanese knotweed stems will grow to a height of 2-3 metres (6-10 feet). It will often form as a semi-dense stand of upright stems, with lush green foliage in the form of heart or shovel shaped leaves up to 200mm long.In late summer the plant will flower, producing elongated clusters of small creamy-white flowers.

SUMMER

SPRING

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LEAVES

Lush green, heart or shovel shaped leaves up to 200mm long.

Zig-zag growth pattern, green with red spotting lower down.

STEMSFLOWERS

Clusters (panicles) of small creamy white flowers.

In order to identify plants you need to be able to identify some key features. This section details fundamental features of Japanese knotweed and also looks at other types of knotweed that could be encountered.

IDENTIFYING JAPANESE KNOTWEED

FALLOPIA SACHALINENSIS(Giant knotweed)

FALLOPIA X BOHEMICA(Bohemian knotweed)

Creamy-white flowers in dense panicles hanging off the 4-5m high

stems.

FLOWERS

The leaves can grow to 40cm (16 in) long and up to 27cm (11 in) wide.

LEAVESFLOWERS

Small white clusters of flowers standing upright from the stems.

LEAVES

Larger leaves similar in shape but theback of the leaf will be rounded.

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This year’s growth

New bud attached to young rhizome

New stem growth from young rhizome

Fibrous root system

IDENTIFYING JAPANESEKNOTWEEDJapanese knotweed is a species that rapidly grows to an impressive height of 2-3 metres (6-10 feet) in a single season.

The extensive rhizome system allows new shoots to be produced from any part of the rooting system in the spring, with a 1m² stand of knotweed capable of producing as many as 238 new shoots.

Rhizomes have a dark brown ‘knotty’ appearance and are bright orange inside. Snapping a fresh rhizome can be quite reminiscent in both sound and colour of snapping a carrot. The actual roots produced by the rhizome are fine, white and threadlike.

Elongated clusters of creamy-white flowers appear towards the end of August and result in the production of seeds, which are currently non-viable in the UK as there is only the female form of the plant.

It thrives on disturbance and is spread by both natural means and by human activity. In the past, fly-tipping and transportation of soil containing rhizome fragments have been a major cause of spread, particularly in the urban environment.

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Japanese knotweed has hollow green stems, with purple speckles. Upright growth with alternate stem growth per node (zig-zag growth pattern).

Japanese knotweed rhizomes snap easily like snapping a carrot. The outside is dark brown and the inside is orange/yellow in colour.

RHIZOME

STEMS

Petiole (zig-zag pattern)

Last year’s growth

Young rhizome

Main rhizome (broken shows orange colouration)

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SURVEYSIn the first instance a specialist Japanese knotweed survey should be instructed. This provides a formal record of where the knotweed is and the true extent of the contaminated area

A convenient appointment will be made with one of our experienced professional surveyors. During the survey we will assess and inspect within the boundaries of the property, and where possible, any knotweed located within neighbouring properties will also be assessed.

The survey report will include a detailed account of our findings, a number of photographs, a location plan and confirmation of the RICS property risk category. Any visible signs of damage caused by the knotweed to the buildings, ancillary structures or hard standing/paving will be noted. The survey will quantify the extent of the problem and may also identify knotweed in neighbouring gardens. It will be helpful in establishing the true and realistic cost of the remedial works.

In some cases, the survey is able to assess the source of infestation and possible encroachment and may be used as a record for legal action. Many lenders will want to see a survey report before confirming lending.

From the survey findings a quotation will be provided, offering herbicide treatment programmes and excavation options where applicable.

Identify Japanese knotweed, similar

knotweed species or hybrids

Accurately record the extent of infestation and associated property risk

Assessment of neighbouring properties

where necessary

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Provide CAD survey plan on Ordnance Survey

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Adequately provide UK mortgage lenders with

the risk assessment they required

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The growth of Japanese knotweed is controlled by certain parts of legislation, and there are several types of legal claims that may apply to your situation, which are detailed below.

KNOTWEED AND THE LAW

Land/property owners must prevent allowing or causing Japanese knotweed to spread from their land onto neighbouring land, otherwise it will be deemed as an actionable private nuisance. Once encroachment or imminent encroachment is established, damage is assumed, and the affected property owners can claim for private nuisance and be compensated for both the cost of treatment and loss of amenity caused by the Japanese knotweed (Williams & Waistell v Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 1514).

Therefore, although it is not an offence for Japanese knotweed to be on someone’s property, the owner of this land may find that they are liable for damages if it affects their neighbour’s ability to use and enjoy their property.

PRIVATE NUISANCE

If a property is affected by knotweed the owner will need to declare this when selling. They could be guilty of misrepresentation if they have not correctly responded to the question in the Law Society Property Information TA6 Form (3rd edition) seller’s questionnaire regarding knotweed, and they are responsible for all damage up until the point of sale. They remain liable for this historic damage even after the sale of the property. As knotweed is a `continuing nuisance`, liability for any damage caused after the sale of the property attaches itself to the buyer.

MISREPRESENTATION

If you are buying or have bought a house and had a survey undertaken by a professional surveyor, the surveyor owes you a duty of care to record any knotweed in the property and in the immediate vicinity. A surveyor could be liable if he has breached his duty of care by failing to spot or note the knotweed. Similarly, a solicitor owes you a duty of care when buying a property to ensure that the seller has completed a Law Society Property Information TA6 Form (seller’s questionnaire). A solicitor could be liable if he has breached his duty of failing to get a TA6 form completed.

PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE

If you wish to pursue a legal claim we are happy to put you in contact with one of our reputable solicitors, most of whom work on a “no win, no fee” basis if they agree to take on a case. However, the first step would be to have a Legal Report drawn up. In addition to the survey results, the Legal Report sets out the origin and age of the knotweed, which is critical evidence in all of the above types of claims. A Legal Report costs £250 plus VAT and will usually not require a second visit after the survey to your property.

LEGAL HELP

If Japanese knotweed, including its underground rhizomes, has spread from one property to another it is called encroachment. Once encroachment or imminent encroachment has been established, it can give rise to claims under private nuisance law. As well as the law of private nuisance giving right to a claim, if it be proved that knotweed has encroached (with a before and after record) the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 may also be used to enforce control of knotweed. A notice can be served via the council or the police on those failing to control Japanese knotweed, which can result in fines for the individual or business if the issues are not resolved.

ENCROACHMENT

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TREATMENTANDREMOVALMETHODSJapanese knotweed can either be treated in-situwith herbicide, or excavated.

Herbicide application alone can ultimately render the plant unable to produce new growth (deemed as eradication), but it is unlikely to remove viability from 100% of the underground rhizome system.

Therefore, disturbance of ground containing herbicide treated knotweed may produce re-growth (even after a successful herbicide programme, which has resulted in no recordable above ground growth).

This is an important note, especially for developers.

The Environment Agency deem that any ground containing dead knotweed (even after a specialist has declared eradication following herbicide treatment or sifting), is classed as controlled waste if removed from site. This is the same waste classification given to living healthy knotweed material and soils containing live knotweed.

Insurance Backed Guarantees are available on completion of works.

HERBICIDE TREATMENT PLAN

Our dig and dump programme provides an instant, hassle free and impressive rectification method.

The Japanese knotweed is fully excavated to remove all rhizome material. The excavation process is monitored by our site supervisors, who not only ensure that all the knotweed is removed (via visual identification), but that only soils contaminated with knotweed are removed. (i.e. we only excavate what is necessary. We don’t excavate to a set lateral distance of 7m and depth of 3m, if it’s not needed)

All knotweed material and knotweed contaminated spoil arising from these works is removed from site as controlled waste. This requires removal via registered waste carriers to a landfill site which is fully licensed to receive and dispose of Japanese knotweed. There will be a full waste tracking record on completion.

DIG & DUMP

An efficient, cost-effective and sustainable treatment option. Control of the plant prevents above ground growth and spread, with is normally achieved within 3 years of treatment.

All herbicide applications are carried out by our experienced and fully qualified team of licenced sprayers and can be guaranteed.

Herbicide treatment alone will not remove the rhizome from the ground and cannot be guaranteed to eradicate the viability (potential to produce new growth) from the entire rhizome mass.

Due to this where ground containing knotweed is to be disturbed (e.g. by development) the soils containing the knotweed rhizome will need to be removed by excavation.

(Treatment and Control) (Instant eradication)

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The Japanese knotweed is excavated, either fully, or to a reduced level and capped.

The excavated knotweed material is then buried on site in a suitable location. The buried material is encapsulated in knotweed root barrier (the cell) with the top of the cell residing 2m below finished ground levels. The depth of 2m is a precaution against burrowing animals penetrating the cell and bringing out knotweed material.

If burial of knotweed is to take place without the encapsulation or root barrier, it must be done so that the knotweed resides below a depth of 5m.

Where on-site burial is undertaken, it is strongly advised that to prevent potential disturbance and re-infestation, the burial site location is recorded, and any future owners are advised of its position.

DIG & CELL BURIAL

The knotweed is excavated and the arising waste is relocated to another area of the site, where it can be treated with herbicide.

Relocation is normally carried out by loading the knotweed in dump trucks and transporting over site on a controlled haul route to a designated location.

At the relocation point the knotweed is eitherstockpiled, bunded, or it resides at ground level via a cut and fill procedure.

The cut and fill procedure has the benefit of not producing a bund or stockpile of knotweed on site, and it provides clean back fill to the void created by the excavation of the Japanese knotweed.

DIG & RELOCATE

The knotweed is accurately excavated and removed, but only down to a depth required by the development or end use of the site.

For a development site this will often mean excavation of the knotweed to construction formation levels only.

The remaining knotweed contaminated ground (beneath the excavation depth) will then be capped off with a Japanese knotweed root barrier to prevent re-emergence of the knotweed from underneath.

Where necessary (e.g. if the knotweed rhizome transverses the boundary of the site, or where knotweed in neighbouring property is in close proximity to the site boundary) the root barrier is returned vertically at the site boundary.

DIG & CAP(Instant eradication) (Instant eradication) (Instant eradication from source)

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GIANT HOGWEED(Heracleum mantegazzianum)

Is subject to the same legal legislation as Japanese knotweed. It is highly poisonous and can cause severe irritation, blistering and dermatitis. Though not classed as a notifiable weed, it is regarded as a serious threat to public health. The plant is particularly attractive to children, so parents should be advised to keep their children away from it at all costs.

Contact with the plant can lead to severe burns that can persist as recurrent photo-dermatitis long after exposure. Contact with the eyes can lead to temporary (or in some cases permanent) blindness. Giant hogweed can grow up to 3-5 metres tall, with individual umbels (flat-top umbrella-like flower clusters) measuring up to half a metre across, and individual leaves measuring up to 2 metres across.

Giant hogweed can produce up to 50,000 seeds per plant (approximately 1,500 per flower head), which can be catapulted distances of up to 4 metres. Seeds can remain viable but inactive in the ground for several years.

Is a non-injurious, but never the less invasive and troublesome species, that leaves river and stream banks exposed to damaging erosion when it dies back during the winter.

The plant grows up to 3 metres high and has a hollow bamboo-like stem, pink-red to green in colour with green vertical grooves. Because of the colour and type of the stem it has occasionally been mistaken by the uninitiated for Japanese knotweed.

Himalayan balsam produces purplish to pale pink flowers in mid-late summer. Each plant can produce around 2,500 seeds that literally explode from the seed pod when disturbed, and can be propelled up to 7 metres in distance. Seeds that enter watercourses can travel over 10km before germinating in the spring.

HIMALAYAN BALSAM(Impatiens glandulifera)

OTHER INVASIVE SPECIESPlants which are non-native and have been deemed as significantly invasive have been listed in Section 14 Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The distribution of these plants is governed by legislation. The vast majority of the plants listed in the Act are aquatic weeds.

There are other plants which are native to the country but are also deemed as invasive. Some of these like Ragwort are governed under separate legislation due to their invasive nature.

We list here five of the plants that regularly cause problems for our customers.

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Field Horsetail is often referred to as Mare’s tail and is an invasive native herbaceous perennial plant (weed). Horsetail is easily recognised throughout the summer and autumn by its upright (5-60cm height) light green, fir tree like shoots (pointed green shoots with folded needle like leaves pointing upward around the stem). These shoots are rough to the touch as they have a natural hard casing. In spring, the plant first appears as light brown stems (20-50cm tall) with fertile spore-producing cone structure at the end of the stems. A single cone can produce 100,000 spores. As a perennial, the above ground growth completely dies off in the winter.

Horsetail is extremely hardy and therefore colonises a diverse range of sites, spreading quickly and out-competing other plants.

The underground stem structure (called rhizomes) is capable of exploiting gaps in hard standing, causing damage to block-paving, macadam roads and pavements.

(Equisetum arvense)HORSETAIL

Otherwise known as Silvervine, Fleeceflower or more commonly by the name ‘Mile a Minute’. Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed) is known to hybridise with this vigorous climber, but the resultant seedlings rarely survive in the wild and possess none of the aggressive attributes of either of its parents. Russian vine is also known by the Latin names Polygonum baldschuanicum and Fallopia aubertii.

(Fallopia baldschuanica)RUSSIAN VINE

Is covered by the provisions of The Weeds Act 1959 and The Ragwort Control Act 2003, and is one of the most frequent causes of plant poisoning of livestock in Britain. It causes liver damage that can often prove fatal to horses, other farm animals such as sheep and cattle, and also hares and deer. It can also prove poisonous to people.

Flowering is from late June to early autumn. Ragwort is normally a biennial (rosette - spring 1st year; flowering - July/August 2nd year), and its seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 20 years. Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds with a 70% germination rate.

Over/under-grazing creates open patches where ragwort can establish itself. Ragwort will not establish where there is a dense vigorous sward. Livestock tend to avoid eating ragwort on good pastures, but it is advisable, as a precaution, to ensure they do not have access to plants. When drying out, ragwort loses its bitter taste and becomes more palatable to livestock. It is advisable to remove all cut material from site.

(Senecio jacobaea)COMMON RAGWORT

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It has been estimated that the discovery of Japanese knotweed on a development site can add around 10% to the total budget, due to the cost of treatment and/or removal. To ignore it, or to treat it incorrectly, can prove far more costly in the long term. However, having knotweed on your site does not automatically mean treatment will cost the earth, provided due consideration is given to the problem prior to commencement of works.

Contacting us for advice on knotweed management at the early stages in planning should be a prerequisite on any development site. Following an inspection of the site we review the construction plans and evaluate the most practical and economical remediation methods, which are communicated to the client in a Knotweed Management Plan.

Failure to act means that many knotweed eradication projects become far more complicated and expensive than they need to be. Developers should fully satisfy themselves that their property is knotweed free before any works commence on site, and they should be aware of their Duty of Care responsibilities if knotweed is present. Knotweed does not go away if you ignore it – quite the contrary, in fact.

Above all, initial demolition or clearance procedures should not be carried out under any circumstances until the site has been cleared of Japanese knotweed, as such procedures are likely to spread the knotweed, and will later prove time-consuming and costly to rectify.

On development sites Japanese knotweedis a contaminant.

Japanese knotweed material and the groundcontaining the plant’s rhizome is classed as controlled waste if removed from site under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Duty of Care Regulations 1991.

If a developer disturbs the site without remediating the knotweed, they risk contravening the law by not disposing of the waste at an appropriate licensed landfill facility.

Failing to remediate Japanese knotweed can result in the plant growing through the new soft and hard landscaping of the site, or in the worst case, through completed buildings.

We work with our clients to devise the most appropriate and efficient remediation solution for a site, based on the proposals for the site.

MANAGINGKNOTWEEDONDEVELOPMENTSITES

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WHY COMPANIES ACROSS THE UK USE JAPANESE KNOTWEED LTDWe have a proven track record for eradicating Japanese knotweed for private landowners, local authorities and major building developers. We pride ourselves on having become one of the leading Japanese knotweed removal experts in the UK. As an established contractor we are affiliated members of the Property Care Association’s (PCA) Invasive Weed Control Group (IWCG).

We provide a range of guaranteed, cost-effective and efficient eradication solutions to meet all requirements. Our highly knowledgeable team provides a comprehensive practical service throughout the UK, and is committed to

providing on-site sustainable options wherever available. Removal to landfill should always be considered a last resort. We do not supply ‘one package fits all’ remedies, instead we liaise closely with our clients to tailor a site-specific solution – often utilising several treatment techniques on a single site.

The longer the period available for knotweed control, the more options can be considered – and the more significant the financial savings that can be made.

Our operations are carried out in accordance to The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Environmental Protection Act 1990, EPA (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991 and all other relevant legislation, as well as the

PCA, INNSA and E.A. Code of Practice guidelines . Our works are backed by guarantee with the option of an insurance backed guarantee if required.

A S S O C I A T I O N

Very professional and they dealt with our Japanese knotweed in a timely, practical and affordable manner. - Christopher Hill, Taylor Wimpey West London Ltd

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