High Wycombe has been named as the top Japanese knotweed hotspot in Buckinghamshire.

Infestations of the invasive plant can mean trouble, with it known to severely damage properties.

It usually emerges in March or April and can reach up to 2.5 metres in height by the time summer rolls around.

Environet, invasive plant specialist, has revealed this year’s hotspots for the plant following the latest data from its live online tracker.

Full list

High Wycombe comes out on top in Bucks, with 47 infestations reported in 2023.

This is a stark contrast between runner-up Chesham, which only had 19 infestations.

Milton Keynes had 18 infestations and Gerrards Cross had 17.

Protect your property

Nic Seal, founder of Environet, said: “Vigilance is the best way to protect your property from the risks posed by Japanese knotweed. Make sure you know what knotweed looks like and how it differs from other common garden weeds like ivy and bindweed, so you can keep an eye out for it in your garden and neighbourhood. Knotweed is easily identifiable during summer, but as we head through the autumn and into winter, the above-ground growth dies back and it becomes much harder to spot. It’s also easier to conceal, so anyone viewing a property to buy should be extra careful.

“There are lots of horror stories out there but the with professional help, knotweed can be successfully treated and a property’s value can be largely restored.”

Japanese knotweed is identifiable by its hard, bamboo-like canes and distinctive shield-shaped bright green leaves which grow in a zigzag pattern along the stem.

Mature plants flower in August, becoming covered in clusters of white flowers.

Knotweed does not produce viable seeds as all the plants in the UK are female.

It is usually spread accidentally through the movement of soil or gardening waste, or via rivers and streams when pieces of rhizome break off and take hold in new locations.