INNSA MEMBER TO ERADICATE JAPANESE KNOTWEED INFESTATION IN CORNWALL

INNSA MEMBER TO ERADICATE JAPANESE KNOTWEED INFESTATION IN CORNWALL

Invasives Code subscriber appointed following Court Case

Owner who allowed Japanese knotweed to spread found liable for all costs

In a landmark court case, a property owner who allowed Japanese knotweed to spread across her property to the extent that it put the value of an adjoining property at risk, was ordered by the County Court in Truro to employ Cornwall Council’s contractor, Cormac Solutions Limited, to implement a programme of remediation that may take 5 years.

The property owner was also required to pay substantial but undisclosed court costs. The case, which bears resemblance to a similar case against Network Rail in Wales, may set a precedent for those people who have knotweed on their land and allow it to spread to the extent that it puts adjoining property values at risk.

Cormac Solutions, who have been appointed to eradicate the infestation, are subscribers to the Invasives Code which sets high quality standards for invasive species remediators and are also a member of the Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association (INNSA) the only industry specific trade body that represents companies that adhere to the highest technical industry standards.

Tim Bird from Cormac Solutions Limited said ‘we are very pleased to have been appointed to eradicate the knotweed infestation in Maenporth as a result of the Court decision. It is important when appointing a contractor to remediate an infestation that you can have peace of mind as to the quality of work and that the contractor will be around for the long term. As a subscriber to the Invasives Code and a member of INNSA, which requires very high technical standards of its members as laid out in the INNSA Code of Practice for Managing Japanese knotweed, our customers can have that peace of mind.’

James Sherwood-Rogers, the Chairman of INNSA said ‘we believe that the Court decision sends a clear message that it is important to select a remediator that subscribers to the Invasives Code and follows the INNSA Code of Practice for Managing Japanese knotweed. As remediation programmes can take 5 years or more, it is vital that property owners can depend on the contractor that they choose to work for them.’

More information about the Invasives Code can be found at www.propertycodes.org.uk