A TEAM from the Wye Valley AONB has reported encouraging success in a project to control invasive Himalayan balsam.

The pink-flowered balsam has spread to many waterside areas along the Wye Valley, propagated by seeds floating downriver, but an eradication programme at Biblins is giving cause for hope.

"It is proving not too difficult to control and we hope our success will encourage landowners to make an effort to get rid of it," said Andrew Nixon of the AONB.

Key to clearing up patches of the weed was stopping it seeding for three years, which exhausted the plants' 'seed bank' he said. Ruthless cutting and using weedkiller such as glyphosate had both been equally effective. Hand-pulling was useful for small areas.

However, anyone planning on carrying out control on watercourses in Sites of Special Scientific Interest like the Wye Valley did first need to get permission from the Environment Agency.

Andrew said the area had two other plant pest problems and the AONB was keen to eradicate Japanese knotweed and the Giant hogweed.

They are keeping a close eye on Cornwall County Council's attempts to control knotweed, which is proving hard to kill.

"We do not have the resources to carry out our own programme and we might duplicate efforts elsewhere if we try," he said.