CaRT will have to control non-native plants

SUCH are the problems with people discarding invasive non-native plants into canals and rivers, that the government has brought in new rules whereby people could receive anti-social behaviour orders (Asbos), and companies be fined for failing to control their spread.

It has certainly fired-up Canal & river Trust as it is going all-out to clear the New Zealand Pygmy Weed that has taken over Foulridge Reservoir that feeds the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Keith Gudgin tells us.

Took over the Soar

Like the Japanese Knotweed and the Floating Pennywort that took over the Soar in Leicester (pictured) and down river, the New Zealand Pygmy Weed is fast growing and easily spread, with it claimed that a tiny piece on a shoe or dogs foot can spread the weed, and unlike other non-native plants that float on the water, this weed has been known to grow down three feet deep.

A CaRT ecologist tells that the New Zealand Pygmy Weed grows up to 200 times faster than native plants, forming a dense mat that make boating impossible in addition to starving fish of oxygen, and is difficult to eliminate.

Spread to canal

At the moment it has taken over Foulridge Reservoir, where the Trust's workers are busy attempting to control it, but it is most likely that it has already spread into the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Businesses in Scotland and Northern Ireland already have a legal responsibility to prevent invasive plants from spreading into the wild, but now changes are being brought in for the rules to be effective in England.

The Home Office has realised that imported invasive plants threaten the country's biodiversity by crowding out native species, with Japanese Knotweed in particular causing structural damage to properties and Giant Hogweed creating serious health problems for humans, such as blisters, skin diseases and even blindness.

Difficult to eradicate

Japanese Knotweed is particularly difficult to eradicate, being very resilient and re-grows vigorously even after being cut down.

The new rules mean people can now be fined up to £2,500 for failing to control non-native plants and companies that fail to control them can be fined up to £20,000.