Bury Council to start hogweed spraying

Bury Council is to start spraying giant hogweed this month on its land – and is urging other landowners to do the same on theirs.

Giant Hogweed can grow to 4m in height and can, if touched, cause injury as the stings can burn the skin and make it sensitive to sunlight.

The sites to be treated by the council are: Springwater Park, Burrs Park, Close Park, Outwood, and Radcliffe town centre.

Councillor Alan Quinn, cabinet member for the environment, said: "We tackle giant hogweed every spring as it starts to emerge after winter, and have found extra funding to make sure we spray all of the land owned by Bury Council.

“We can treat the land we own, but it requires all landowners to deal with hogweed on their land, otherwise it spreads to other areas.

“Since the Boxing Day floods of 2015, giant hogweed has been a real problem. Each plant can produce between 10,000 and 50,000 seeds, and these were spread from the Kirklees Valley downstream to infect all of the bank of the River Irwell.

“We're also working with Forestry England who own Drinkwater Park in Prestwich and our friends from the Mersey Rivers Trust to try to tackle this infestation. I've also raised this at a Greater Manchester level at meetings of the NW Rivers Floods & Coastal Committee as hogweedinfestations can weaken riverbanks."

The council also treats Japanese Knotweed twice a year, in May and September.

ENDS

Press release issued: 17 March 2021.