High chance new laws could come into force
The Law Commission (England and Wales) is currently recommending the creation of ‘species control orders’ to allow statutory bodies, where necessary, to compel owners or occupiers of land to carry out control or eradication operations of non-native invasive species.
As part of its review of the current legislative regime, the Law Commission cited Japanese Knotweed frequently as an example of why the law requires change. If successful, this will have a significant impact on land owners where there is no legal requirement currently to treat Japanese Knotweed within your own land boundary.
AJK director Richard Newis explained: “If this new law comes to pass, regulators or adjacent land owners will be able to enforce the control/ remediation of Japanese Knotweed impacted land. If these ‘species control orders’ are ignored, it could lead to significant fines or in the worst case scenario, a jail sentence. The likelihood for these laws to come into force in England and Wales is high as recommendations of the Law Commission are rarely ignored and similar orders already exist in Scotland.”
If you think this will impact on your current strategy for managing Japanese Knotweed, call one of our advisors today on 0845 873 1466 or make contact on our enquiry page here