Since its introduction to the UK in the 19th century, Japanese knotweed has been a real nuisance for people, businesses, buildings and the environment. As a result of its devastating and invasive nature, it has caused hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of pounds worth of damage to roads, infrastructure and local ecosystems, resulting in tremendous amounts of repair work and logistical nightmares.

This has lead to several legislative movements with laws put in place here in the UK to control the spread of Japanese knotweed, focusing on how it is stored, destroyed and reproduced. Since these laws have passed, people and businesses across the UK now understand how they are able to manage knotweed and what options are available to them if they were to come across, but are these laws the same across other countries?

We’re here to find out! So, read on to learn about how Japanese knotweed is controlled and managed throughout the world.

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Because Japanese knotweed is such a big problem here in the UK, there are strict laws in place to limit the spread of this invasive plant species. But what exactly are these laws, and when were they introduced?

Image source: Wikimedia Commons (under licence CC 3.0)

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Some people may look at Japanese knotweed as a beautiful, ornamental plant. After all, that's one of the reasons it was brought to the country in the first place! Planting Japanese knotweed on your property is forbidden for a number of reasons. However, when you realise how damaging Japanese knotweed can be, you'll probably wish you never considered planting it anyway.

Photo by Leonora Enking (View Original)

You'll remember from our blog - What Damage Can Japanese Knotweed Do? - that Japanese knotweed can make it difficult to sell your home, can cause structural damage to buildings and roads and can even disrupt cables and block drains. This plant is likely to cause you a great deal of hassle, so why you'd want to plant it is a mystery!

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If you have Japanese knotweed on your land, you're not obliged to destroy it, but it is your responsibility to ensure that this invasive weed doesn't spread to anybody else's property. Should the plant spread on your watch, you may find yourself liable from a legal standpoint.

So what happens when there's Japanese knotweed on land adjoining yours? Should you just sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge that you'll be entitled to compensation if the owner of the neighbouring plot allows their knotweed to encroach on your property?

Well, that's not what we recommend. Far better to take action now and make sure you're covered if the knotweed next door becomes your problem as well.

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Japanese knotweed has been plaguing homeowners since the 19th century, and it doesn't look like it'll be slowing down anytime soon. Landowners who leave Japanese knotweed untreated are usually the root cause of the problem. One minute the Japanese knotweed is contained to their land, and the next it crops up in all the gardens in the street! 

If you find Japanese knotweed on your property (and you know you didn't put it there), then the first thing that you'll want to get to the bottom of is where it came from and who's responsible for it. Japanese knotweed can cause structural damage, reduce the value of your home and is expensive to remove so there's no doubt that you'll want to make a compensation claim as soon as possible. 

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