Chris and Marie Moore say they have felt like prisoners in their Birmingham home after weed infestation.
Japanese Knotweed appears to be taking over the UK, with the invasive plant growing in gardens up and down the country over the past decade. A large number of UK residents have been affected, with many harrowing stories coming from the destructive weed.
Stories like that of Chris and Marie Moore. This Birmingham couple say they have felt “imprisoned” in their council house due to Japanese Knotweed spreading rapidly in their garden.
Mr Moore first noticed the plant growing on his property more than five years ago. He cut the weed back, only for it to grow again even quicker. Mr Moore then spent hundreds of pounds on weedkiller, but still the Japanese Knotweed did not relent.
Now, the couple are hoping their nightmare may finally be over, with the council beginning treatment on the plant last month. Initially, in June 2017, Birmingham City council said it was the responsibility of the tenant to remove the knotweed.
The council have since changed their policy, and have started the painstaking treatment on the council house garden. They will spray the garden with special chemicals every four weeks, meaning that the garden will be out of bounds for up to three years.
Mr Moore told reporters:
From having a 70ft garden we're down to the last eight feet as the knotweed has spread. We loved this house, but now we hate it - we are just so fed up with it.
I've lived my whole life in this area but in this house, we feel like prisoners.
Problems caused by Japanese Knotweed
Japanese knotweed can cause many problems for tenants and homeowners. Not only is there a potential risk to losing your garden to an infestation, it can also cause problems to your home’s foundations and create potential issues further down the line when you come to sell your house.
Mortgage lenders are advised to refuse a mortgage on a property where Japanese Knotweed is present, within seven metres of the property’s boundaries. Often, this includes plots of land where there was historically Japanese Knotweed, but has since been removed, due to its persistency.
Usually, a homeowner with the source of the plant - decided by a survey - would cover the cost of all of the treatment, including neighbouring properties if affected.
Have you been affected by Japanese Knotweed?
If you have been affected by Japanese knotweed intruding onto your property, or you have bought a property without being told of the potential for Japanese knotweed infestation, we can help.
All landowners, including residential and commercial landowners, have a duty to take all steps to prevent avoidable damage to neighbouring properties. Our team of expert lawyers can help you make a claim to:
- Recover the cost to remove the Japanese knotweed in full by a professional
- Recover the cost to remove repair any damage caused
- Recover the cost where potential loss in market value of your property
- We will do this by claiming against the landowner responsible for the spread.
In addition to this, if the seller of the property failed to tell you about the knotweed, or the surveyor missed it, we can help you make a claim against the person or company responsible.
Get in touch today by calling 0800 046 9976 or by completing an online enquiry form.