Giant Hogweed is now endemic on the Irwell. Its bloody everywhere – and none of our local authorities or agencies really know how to tackle the issue.
As we all know – the sap from this plant can cause serious burns to the skin, which can last for up to 6 years. Hogweed is a serious public health issue which is festering away on the river banks, out of sight and out of mind from the local authorities – just waiting for some clever no win no fee solicitor to take them all to the cleaners.
I was walking around the racecourse area of the river a couple of weeks ago, and noticed with great pleasure, that someone was tackling the Giant Hogweed which grows in large stands on Salford University land.
See pic below
So I crossed the river to take a closer look.
Its seems as though someone has had the bright idea of cutting off all the seed heads, and piling them up in big heaps.
What a crackpot idea, to cut off the seed heads without wrapping them up first to stop them shedding the seeds.
Instead of only the riverbank being seeded with Hogweed, the whole of the footpath and the land on each side of the footpath is now coated with a thick layer of seeds, ready to sprout up in the spring and make the problem 10 times worse.
Its not often that you see such inept work.
Take a look at these pictures to see what I mean.
What a mess !
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