If you are a homeowner and you are worried about the presence of Japanese knotweed on the property, you should immediately seek out the assistance of a company that can provide an effective and thorough Japanese knotweed survey. There are many problems associated with Japanese knotweed for buildings and the surrounding surfaces. If it is a worry that you genuinely have, it is vital that you understand the issue within as short a timeframe as possible and to then put in place an action plan that can eliminate the potential problems and obstacles that knotweed brings.
Understanding what Japanese knotweed is, is a great start to understanding the problems that you might be facing. It is an invasive plant that can cause many problems to a property. If you have spotted Japanese knotweed on your property, you must act as quickly as possible. To look at, Japanese knotweed is a clump=forming plant that can grow up to 3 metres tall and you can tell what it is by the light green leaves that are the shape of a shield. The flattened base is around 10-15cm in length. Another way to tell Japanese knotweed is that the stem is like bamboo, hollow and with pinky-redish speckles on the light green colour. The flowers on a Japanese knotweed are small and clustered together in creamy-white sprays and are present between August and October each year
The problem with Japanese knotweed is that the roots are incredibly thick and extensive. The roots get picked up in soil and on equipment and the top growth is renewed each year, meaning that the spread of the roots can be relentless. There are no regulations in place to eradicate Japanese knotweed on your property, but you could be prosecuted if it is found that you have caused an outbreak of Japanese knotweed on your property and it has spread into the wild. This is against the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.
The spread of Japanese knotweed could be from the roots spreading underneath the boundary between your land and your neighbours land, with the roots of Japanese knotweed spreading as far as 7 metres in distance. If you have dug up or cut down knotweed on your property and removed it, this then becomes waste and must be disposed of in the correct fashion, to the right type of licensed landfill, otherwise it might cause problems with where it has been disposed of.
If you are worried about how close Japanese knotweed is getting to your home, you should look for help from experts in the field as soon as possible. If left untended, Japanese knotweed can cause untold problems and destruction to a property, both the surfaces surrounding a building and the structure itself. A thorough and extensive survey of the property for knotweed can help an owner to understand if there is a problem, the severity of the problem and then put together a plan of action as to how to combat the issue. Armed with the accurate information, you can begin to make an effective plan that eliminates Japanese knotweed and prevents your property from suffering long-term issues.
