Japanese Knotweed

Home Office guidance has made it clear that new remedies for anti-social behaviour cover damage caused by Japanese Knotweed, with the potential for large fines.

Japanese Knotweed is an "invasive non-native plant" originally introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant. It is now better known for its destructive force than its beauty; its network of rhizomes (underground root-like stems) can spread more than four metres down and seven metres horizontally from the base, and break through tarmac and cement. It can cause structural damage to buildings and drainage and is extremely difficult to fully remove. Lenders are keen to establish whether any Japanese Knotweed is present on a property, and can be reluctant to lend if it is because of the damage it can cause (and the liability that imposes upon a landowner).