DRD treating Japanese knotweed outbreak at Woodburn

The move follows a complaint that the plant had been spotted growing on waste ground in the area around the Woodburn Road.

Speaking to the Times, a concerned resident said: “It grows so quickly; it needs to be removed before it spreads onto other people’s properties.”

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “TransportNI is aware of Japanese knotweed at several sites in the Woodburn Road area.

“The Japanese knotweed has been treated with herbicide by our external contractor in recent years and treatment will continue on an annual basis until there is no re-growth.

“Private landowners are responsible for any knotweed growing on their own land.”

A non-native species of plant which can cause structural damage to property, Japanese knotweed is notoriously difficult to control.

In 2012, the Times reported that the weed had spread along large sections of the A8 Larne to Belfast Road.