Warning as bamboo has "taken over' city garden

HOMEOWNERS ARE URGED TO CHECK SPREAD OF PLANT

-  ANNETTE BELCHER

A PLYMOUTH family's dream back garden has turned into a nightmare after bamboo used as a feature has started to spread like wildfire and take over their home.

Homeowners are being warned about bamboo infestations after the owner of the Plymouth home has been left facing a £4,000 bill to fix the problem.

Invasive plant specialist Environet is warning homebuyers to check properties thoroughly for any evidence of the plant and if it's found, insist that sellers deal with the issue or renegotiate the sale price.

They say homebuyers are unwittingly inheriting invasive bamboo infestations which are costing them thousands of pounds to remedy after they've moved in.

Leah Jones inherited the bamboo infestation which spread across her garden. When Leah and her family moved into their terraced home in the city, they were delighted with the mediterranean feel of the rear garden, which had bamboo growing on one side. They made a seating area next to the bamboo and decorated it with fairy lights.

A survey on the property had not mentioned the bamboo and the family were unaware of the risks, until Leah's father-in-law mentioned he had read it could be an invasive plant. They realised the bamboo had in fact spread across the width of the garden, beneath the patio and artificial lawn, with new shoots emerging four metres away on the opposite side.

A bamboo survey revealed their entire back garden was crisscrossed with bamboo rhizome, with runners visible against the boundary wall adjoining the neighbouring property.