The Isle of Wight Council has made a U-turn on the use of chemical weedkillers across the Isle of Wight as the number of complaints about the state of the Island’s streets soars.
It was in March of last year that Island Roads announced it would be ending the decades-old method of using quad bikes to spray chemical weedkillers. Instead, the highways PFI contractor said it would employ extra staff and use non-glyphosate herbicides and manual tools to get rid of the weeds.
Now, less than a year later, it has been decided that the plan has failed with local residents submitting hundreds of complaints about the state on their roads. As a result, glyphosate will once again be used to keep the streets free of weeds.
It was only in July last year that Island Roads stated that public feedback on changes to weeding across the Isle of Wight had been ‘very positive’ – but with over 200 complaints submitted in July and August alone, it seems the idea was stronger than the reality.
Basic math calculations showed that it was impossible for manual workers to cover the same distance as a sprayer mounted to a quad bike, with the work taking longer to achieve too.
The use of proper weedkillers – that have proven effective for years – will return this Spring.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Island Roads has said:
“Regrettably, we are unable to meet our contractual requirements to control weeds on the network using manual labour and organic herbicides. Therefore, following discussions with the Isle of Wight Council, our intention is to resume the use of licensed glyphosate-based herbicides, like those used in household weedkillers, this Spring”.
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Who cares about a bit of greenery around the growing concrete jungle on the IOW? ‘Weeds’ in the IWCC mind are actually an important habitat for invertebrates at the lower end of the food chain Stop throwing chemicals around that have long term risks – read up on the Monsato Glyphosate ‘Roundup’ Lawsuit underway ref. leukemia. Seems to be plenty of Community Service orders in the Courts these days, get the offenders out there hand picking them for their penance.
Well who knew a quad bike is quicker than a person with a hoe !!!!!!
Just goes to show you’re never to old to learn ??????
And do they know that if you leave the root’s in they re grow …
And know they know …
See we can all learn!!!!!!!!!
just like useing a hoe then
Why don’t they just put the non-glyphosate stuff in the same sprayer and still use the quad bikes?
Seems to be a backwards step- apart from making the place look tidy what is the justification for weed killing on the network? – what were the 200 complaints about?
Well, the weeds keep growing bigger and taller and more of them on a yearly basis. What about blind people tripping up for example.
Weeds coming up through new pavements, the old pavements where lay year’s ago not a weed in site
What is wrong with people , please read up on this terrible chemical ,it’s kills insects and Is a real step back ecologically, we all know we have to change And evolve ! I pay community charge and I don’t want this used ,listen Isle of Wight council !
Good news-the whole island was starting to look like a third world country; I was so fed up of it, I did our house frontage myself, and I am 65 years old and full of arthritis.
So 200 complaints from 142,000 population and we revert back to bee killing weed killer.
Some people need to educate themselves on the impact of no bees and compare that disaster with no weeds outside their house.
In our street the weeds have only got out of control since new pavements were laid, previously on the pavements that hadn’t been touched for thirty years to my knowledge, weeds were only a minor problem.