Ashfield District Council: Injurous Weeds

Injurous Weeds

The Weeds Act 1959 classifies certain species of weed that grow in the UK for specific control. These are referred to as injurious weeds.

Under the Act the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs can, if satisfied that specified weeds are growing upon any land, serve a notice requiring the occupier to take action to prevent the spread of those weeds. An unreasonable failure to comply with a notice is an offence.

The Weeds Act only applies to the following weeds:

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea);
Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare);
Creeping or Field Thistle (Cirsium arvense);
Curled Dock (Rumex crispus);
Broad-Leaved Dock (Rumex obtusifolius).

The Act entitles Defra to investigate complaints about injurious weeds where there is a risk that they may spread.

Responsibility for control of injurious weeds rests with the occupier of the land on which the weeds are growing. When seeking to prevent the spread of injurious weeds, owners, occupiers and managers of land should co-operate and, where necessary, take a collective responsibility for ensuring the effective control and preventing the spread of injurious weeds.

For information about Japanese knotweed, which is not covered by the 1959 Act.

For advice on the control and eradication of injurious weeds and landowners statutory responsibilities visit www.defra.gov.uk. Alternatively write to:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Information Resource Centre
Lower Ground Floor
Ergon House
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Or contact the Defra Helpline on 08459 33 55 77 or email helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

To make a complaint about the failure to control injurious weeds on privately owned land contact DEFRA, Injurious Weeds Section at Crewe on 01270 754000.

Complaints concerning injurious weeds growing on roadside grass verges within Ashfield District Council area or on Council owned land should be reported to:
Alex Moorhouse, Outdoor Services Officer on 01623 450000
or e-mail a.moorhouse@ashfield-dc.gov.uk.

Injurious weeds growing on the verges of large main roads (trunk roads) or motorways in the district, control and eradication is the responsibility of the Highways Agency and not the Council; however our staff will be able to refer complaints if necessary.

DEFRA Information about Injurous weeds pdf document - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 74 KB.