A row over Japanese knotweed has erupted after a woman claims the fast-growing plant has spread from her neighbour’s property and is ruining her garden.
Glenys Parsons, 68, lets her home in Northill, Swansea, South Wales, to her son’s girlfriend and her daughter.
She said some years ago her property was sprayed because of the spread of knotweed from a next door property owned by developer Coastal Housing Group.
Mrs Parsons claims the treatment stopped and the problem ended up getting even worse, according to Wales Online.
She explained how she had been trying to get the issue resolved since May 2022, but without success.
Mrs Parsons said: “The spraying ceased and the problem got even worse. I have been trying to get the issue sorted since May 2022 but they are saying knotweed doesn’t spread and the birds must have dropped it.
“The back of their property is totally overgrown and has broken my fence which they agreed needed repairing but are not addressing the issue at all.”
She said her property was left empty for almost a year because of the problem, but she now has a tenant with a three-year-old who cannot go out in their back garden.
Mrs Parsons said: “We have had to keep cutting the knotweed back to try to contain it from spreading to my next door neighbour the other side. It is rapidly moving in that direction.”
The property owner said she is not seeking financial compensation, adding: “I would just be happy if the knotweed was treated as it used to be and contained from going any further.”
Coastal Housing Group’s Head of Maintenance Andrew Thomas told Wales Online: “We are aware of these concerns and members of our maintenance and estates team visited the Coastal property and assessed the garden.”
He added there is “a small patch” of knotweed in the garden of the Coastal property which he said will be treated.
Mr Thomas continued: “It is also noted on our knotweed register for regular monitoring and treatment. Any damage to the fence will also be repaired.”
He added the developer is unable to treat other areas where knotweed is affecting gardens in the vicinity.
The Group’s maintenance chief said: “Swansea Council do, however, offer a service for people to help control the spread of Japanese knotweed.”
Japanese knotweed is one of four invasive knotweed plant species in Britain. These are Japanese knotweed, Dwarf knotweed, Giant knotweed, and Bohemian (hybrid) knotweed.
Knotweed can grow in most soil conditions in the UK and particularly in manmade habitats such as roadsides, waste ground, railway embankments and cuttings.
It also grows in spoil tips made up of waste material from mining or quarrying. It can also be commonly found along rivers and streams.
The UK Government’s website says: “You must stop Japanese knotweed on your land from spreading off your property.
“Soil or plant material contaminated with non-native and invasive plants like Japanese knotweed can cause ecological damage and may be classified as controlled waste.
“You do not legally have to remove Japanese knotweed from your land unless it’s causing a nuisance but you can be prosecuted for causing it to spread into the wild.”
