Brighton: activists shocked by use of weedkiller

Environmental campaigners say they are shocked by the number of streets targeted with chemical weedkiller by Brighton & Hove City Council.

The council reintroduced a controlled application of glyphosate droplets after it was banned in 2019 when it was linked to cancer and declining bee populations.

Despite a petition which garnered more than 7,000 signatures opposing the decision, a majority of councilors supported the move in January.

Since the weedkiller was introduced earlier this month, workers have treated 140 streets in Portslade.

The council said the controlled spraying method used less glyphosate than conventional spraying and was more targeted, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Environmental campaigner Steve Geliot said the widespread use of glyphosate went against advice given by Southern Water to prevent damage to the region’s vital chalk aquifers.

He urged people to come together and weed their streets if they didn’t want the council to come in and use glyphosate.

Environmental activist Sylvia Davidson says she is concerned about the effects of glyphosate on endangered plants in targeted areas.

She said: “The council has not taken into account the reality of the roads or the ecology.”

She explained that a road that needs to be treated is just meters from an area “where a critically endangered plant – shepherd’s needle – grows”.

Tim Rowkins, council cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “We want to be open and transparent with residents, which is why we have published a map outlining the streets that have been identified for weeding . »

Mr Rowkins says the treatment will be “applied directly to weeds and only where absolutely necessary”.