Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed is native to Japan, Taiwan and China, and was introduced to Europe as an ornamental plant in the early 19th century. It is a large vigorous weed that appears to have no natural enemies in Britain. It can colonise most habitats and is regarded as a troublesome pest in many parts of the country because of its rapid invasion and domination of habitats, which results in the exclusion of other plants.

Managing land infested by Japanese knotweed in a timely and appropriate way can avoid:

excessive cost
potential prosecution and/or compensation claims
physical damage to buildings and hard surfaces
harm to the environment.

It's down to landowners to control these plants, but they don't have to remove them. However, planting or causing the plants to spread in the wild would be illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The police are responsible for investigating any offences and each police force has a wildlife liaison officer who can be contacted. If the police can't take action, a civil action (as a private nuisance under common law) may have to be taken against a person to ensure that the invasive plants on their land are controlled.

All waste containing Japanese Knotweed comes under the control of Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. All parts of the plant and any soil contaminated with it are classed as controlled waste, so you need to dispose of it carefully to make sure it does not spread. If you are using a contractor to remove the waste for you, they must be registered as a waste carrier. The Environment Agency is responsible for regulating waste and may take enforcement action if the law is not complied with.

You can get advice on managing controlled waste and the use of pesticides near water from the Environment Agency on their customer services line; 03708 506 506. Additionally, if you see anyone illegally moving or disposing of controlled waste you can call their incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.