Letter on Ragwort Evening post 03.06.10

MRS T Rees, from Pontarddulais, is incorrect when she says that the council is compelled by law to control ragwort growing on verges (Have Your Say, May 28).

There is no law which automatically compels landowners to control ragwort.

There is a law that says that landowners may be ordered to control it in extreme circumstances.

Yes, it is poisonous and there are rare cases, usually as a result of neglect, where it has caused the death of animals, but it is only one of a large number of poisonous plants in our countryside. Ragwort is an important flower for wildlife, supporting a diverse community of invertebrates. Road verges are not likely to be a significant source for it to spread into neighbouring fields, where livestock will avoid it anyway. In these hard times our councils should not waste money on unnecessary controls of this

Neil Jones

Biodiversity campaigner

Swansea Friends of the Earth

The Environment Centre

Pier Street