Japanese Knotweed in neighbours garden

moneyistooshorttomention

I think your language is quite moderate in the circumstances - it doesnt just "seem morally wrong". It "IS morally wrong" without a doubt that he can do this to someone.

Fingers crossed you find a way to deal with this situation.

Don't suppose any of your other affected neighbours are trying to do anything to resolve this situation? I'd be willing to bet that they are "diving for cover" and making a parcel of excuses as to why they couldnt/wouldnt etc....lots of people are right cowards at trying to sort out problems and will do their darndest to ignore them and hope someone else will do it for them though...

princeofpounds

Speak to your councillors.

Make a formal complaint, then complain to the local govt ombudsman.

Speak to your MP.

mjm3346

A landowner affected by knotweed growth from a neighbouring property may therefore be able to apply to court for an injunction requiring the neighbouring owner to abate the nuisance. Such a claim can also include a sum of money in damages to reflect the cost of any physical damage to the property and/or the diminution in value of the landowner's property as a result of the nuisance

From here

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/sep/08/japanese-knotweed-house-sale

Loanranger

Definitely agree with everything prince of pounds has said.
Councillors and MPs are used to being asked to help individuals who feel 'helpless'.

CitizenX

Thanks so much to all of you for your good advice.

Yes, i do have legal cover on house insurance so will look into that tomorrow.

This garden borders three other properties - one owned by an elderly couple, one of whom has alzheimers;they didn't really understand the issue when I raised it with them, even though the kknotweed is much closer to their house than mine. The other property has been converted into flats and I have informed the letting agent who informed the owners who have shown no interest. The other property is a crown green bowling club!

I will be contacting my local councillors over the weekend and will check out the local government ombudsmen. It looks like we will also have to take legal advice from a solicitor.

I should add that the owner of the garden has entered into disputes will all of these neighbours in the past, including us ( over the boundary). It took us nearly 5 years to wind up that dispute, hence our reticence to instigate one over the knotweed and selling.

moneyistooshorttomention

Problems there with one of the neighbours having Alzheimers - presumably the other half of this married couple is still okay mentally though - so I'm guessing that they are deliberately pretending not to understand what you are on about (pretending to be stupider than one actually is and making out you don't understand something is certainly a tactic I've seen people using before now in order to avoid doing anything).

The flat-owners - well that will be a case of everybody hoping everyone else will deal with it for them.

That bowling green property might be a possibility though. Do you have a way of contacting the bowlers there (maybe wonder into their club after a game for a social chat and drink with them or something?). I don't suppose they would want their nice smooth bowling green disrupted. Amongst any group of bowlers there is likely to be some intelligent/moneyed/used to being in charge of things men and maybe you might find an ally or two there (well if my fathers group of bowls buddies is anything to go by - there will be people like that amongst them).

CitizenX

I thinkI will approach the bowls club committee.

The irony is that I believe the knotweed came from their site when they built their club house ( this was before we moved in). I first noticed knotweed growing out of rubble bags that had been dumped at the end of my garden and which I assumed had been left by the builders of the club house. Impossible to prove of course.

What is interesting is that the knotweed grows in the opposite direction to the bowls club - there is knotweed dead on the boundary, but none has grown through to their car park at all.It's as if the damn stuff knows it shouldn't grow through there!

moneyistooshorttomention

CitizenX wrote: »

What is interesting is that the knotweed grows in the opposite direction to the bowls club - there is knotweed dead on the boundary, but none has grown through to their car park at all.It's as if the damn stuff knows it shouldn't grow through there!

or someone somewhere is a bit suspicious about it and keeping "their bit" clear and will be glad of an ally the other side of the wall maybe?;)

What have you got to lose by approaching them anyway? - other than the cost of buying them a couple of drinks...

Do keep us informed.

hazyjo

Maybe the bowls club was treated - which is why it's not growing back.

Jx

roses

RAS wrote: »

Hi

JK is quite easy to sort out if you leave it to grow over the summer and then hit it with glysophate in August, injected into the cut remains of the stems.

Can you get in the garden?

Excellent advice, this world a treat for the knotweed in my garden. You can buy ink cartridge refill kits at the poundshop which come with syringes and glyphosate is £3 at wilkinsons.