Welcome to your local community website...
Giant poisonous plant removed
Fears that a plant capable of causing burns and blindness would pose a threat to visitors to September's Chalfont St Giles show have been stamped out now the plant in question has been cut down.
However, seeds may still be lying dormant in the surrounding soil.
Giant hogweed, believed to have been introduced into the Chilterns by the Romans, can grow as high as five metres. It produces highly poisonous sap which can cause temporary and permanent blindness, as well as large blisters on the skin, which can recur as burn-like scars for many years.
A plant in Lower Silsden Meadow, Chalfont St Giles, was cut down on July 21, just feet away from a public footpath that leads from the village centre to the A413 and which visitors to the show on September 6 might use.
Lower Silsden Meadow is owned by Chiltern District Council (CDC) and leased to Keith Bennett of Stockings Farm, Coleshill. A spokesman for CDC said the council wrote to Mr Bennett about the plant last Thursday.
Mr Bennett said he had arranged for a trained contractor to cut the hogweed down on Monday and that the cuttings would be burned.
He said: "We are responsible landowners and do our best to get on with the people who use the footpath. There are certain weeds which, when drawn to our attention, we remove."
Mr Bennett added that he has been renting Lower Silsden Meadow for 14 years and that he would have had the hogweed cut down earlier if he had been asked to do so.
However, Chalfont St Giles parish councillor Gordon Patrick remains concerned because the plant carries thousands of seeds, which can throw up a rogue plant. He added he has spotted a giant hogweed in Nightingales Lane, between Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont.
He said: "This plant could be mistaken for cow parsley. I'm concerned that children might get the sap on their skin or in their eyes. If they get sap on their face, they've got it for life."
A CDC spokesman said: "We are offering Mr Bennett assistance if he needs it to treat the plant, which may include disposal. Our ground maintenance team is advising on the best course of action to take."
The spokesman confirmed that before the show, Lower Silsden Meadow would be made safe for anyone wishing to use the footpath.
We'd like to hear from you. Send your stories, pics and videos
Leave a comment