Weed growth can affect the safety
of road users by damaging surfaces of roads and pavements and
reducing available road and pavement widths. Weeds can disrupt
drainage, obstruct pedestrians and appear unsightly.
Suffolk County Council is responsible for controlling weed
growth on public roads and pavements in Suffolk, with the
exception of:
The use of certain residual (soil
acting) weed killers is prohibited. Suffolk County Council
only use systemic weed killers for our programmes of routine
control of weed growth. This does mean that two or three
applications of weed killer are required each year to control weed
growth.
Standards
Location
Pavements and immediately adjacent kerbed channels
Frequency
Generally two times per year; carried out in the spring and late
summer using a systemic weed killer but with an additional mid
season treatment when growth conditions require.
Noxious Weeds
The Weeds Act 1959 lists a number of weeds that can be harmful
to human or animal health. These are known as noxious weeds. It
places a duty on controllers of land to remove the following
scheduled weeds from their land to prevent seeds contaminating
their neighbours' land:
- broad leaf dock;
- common ragwort;
- creeping or field thistle;
- curled dock; and
- spear thistle.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 specifies control of
certain plants such as giant hogweed or Japanese knotweed.
Treatment of noxious weeds
Chemical weed control can help if it is used before the flowers
open as once flowers have opened the time taken for the plants to
die is long enough for seeds to set.
In view of the potential threat to livestock action is taken, at
the request of the adjacent landowner, where:
- adjacent fields are being cultivated for a hay crop or for
silage;
- the adjacent landowner is prepared to undertake similar action
on his land to prevent recolonisation of the road verge;
- there is a risk to livestock in adjacent fields; or
- this would prevent the spreading of this weed.
Giant hogweed looks similar to cow parlsey but can grow up to four
metres tall. It has a poisonous sap that, if it comes into
contact with the skin, can cause photo-sensitivity and blistering
which may need to be treated in hospital. It can be killed with
chemical weed killer early in the season, but later must be cut,
bagged and disposed of at a licensed landfill site.
Removal is a job for a specialist weed control contractor.
To report a problem contact our
Customer Service
Centre.