Japanese knotweed specialists in Cardiff

Guidance from Cardiff Council

• The council's weed control page includes a section on Japanese knotweed covering identification, the legal position and why cut material and contaminated soil are treated as controlled waste.
• It advises that glyphosate spraying works best in September and early October, and that anyone engaging a contractor should choose one that is PCA-accredited and Amenity Assured.
• Where knotweed is spreading from a neighbour, residents are advised to approach the landowner first, then their buildings insurer or a solicitor. The council's own weed control covers parks, housing estates and adopted highways.

Further information is available on the council's website: Weed control.

Local background

• Swansea University's large-scale knotweed control trials, reported in 2018, used test sites at Taff's Well, just north of Cardiff, as well as in Swansea. (source)

The law in Wales

As in England, it isn't an offence to have Japanese knotweed on your land, but under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to plant it or otherwise cause it to grow in the wild. Soil or plant material containing it is likely to be controlled waste, Natural Resources Wales regulates on-site treatment and burial, and councils can use community protection notices where someone's failure to deal with it unreasonably affects people nearby.

See our guidance on Japanese knotweed and the law.