SOUTHAMPTON is the biggest Japanese knotweed hotspot in the county, figures have revealed.
Invasive plant specialist Environet UK said the city has 49 infestations within a 4km radius, the highest number in the county.
The company has revealed the knotweed hotspots for spring 2022 using data from its interactive online tracker, Exposed: The Japanese Knotweed Heatmap.
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Portsmouth has 42 infestations, Aldershot has 34, Farnborough has 33 and Winchester has 28.
Populated with almost 55,500 known occurrences of the UK’s most invasive plant, Exposed is the most comprehensive online record of knotweed infestations, charting the spread of the plant across the country.
Users can enter their postcode to discover the number of sightings nearby, with hotspots highlighted in yellow, orange and, in the worst cases, red.
The map, available at environetuk.com/exposed-japanese-knotweed-heat-map enables homeowners to understand the risk knotweed poses to their home, or one they wish to buy.
For homeowners, the plant can pose serious problems if left unchecked, with the potential to grow up through cracks in concrete, tarmac driveways, pathways, drains and cavity walls.
The roots can grow as deep as 3m and spread up to 7m horizontally.
While serious damage to property is rare thanks to regulation which requires knotweed to be dealt with when a property is sold to a buyer using a mortgage or if it encroaches across a garden boundary, it commonly impacts use of the garden, causes legal disputes between neighbours and can impact a property’s value by around five per cent.
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