Owner receives £10,000 bill after bamboo invaded garden when plant warning issued

A homeowner faced £10,000 worth of damages after a neighbor’s bamboo plant went wild and invaded his garden.

Isobel Chetwood first noticed there was a problem when shoots from the fast-growing plant began to appear through a raised bed she had designated for strawberry plants.

She began to cut back the new growth, but it was a losing battle as the plant took hold.

It turned out that the tenants next door in the Cheshire town of Knutsford had planted bamboo in their back garden.

His landlord tried using herbicide, but that only made matters worse as sprouts began to grow even more vigorously on the surgery manager’s side of the fence.

The bamboo, which was planted along a border in Mrs Chetwood’s neighbor’s garden, ended up costing £10,000 to uproot.

Eventually, he had to call in invasive plant management specialists, who had to dig up his yard to remove the roots, filling up two containers in the process.

To his relief, the homeowner’s insurers covered the bill, but now he is warning homeowners to beware of the risks of planting bamboo, which is widely available at garden centers.

“Last year the bamboo shoots started to appear prolifically and I could clearly see they were coming from next door,” said Ms Chetwood.

‘My raised bed is built with bricks and heavy wooden sleepers, which you’d think is pretty sturdy, but before long the bamboo found its way under the sleepers, pulling them apart.’

He ordered a survey of the infestation, with Environet specialists digging up the extensive network of bamboo runners that threatened to spread to other nearby gardens at a cost of around £10,000.

“Luckily, his homeowner’s insurance covered the cost of digging up the bamboo on my side of the fence, but he had to pay for removal on his side as it had been deliberately planted by tenants,” he said.

“I would advise anyone thinking of planting bamboo to avoid it at all costs.

“In my opinion, it should not be sold in garden centers, or at least not without a clear warning.”

A specialist had to remove the roots from under a patio, costing the neighboring landlord £10,000.

Property experts have warned that bamboo could become the ‘Japanese knot of tomorrow’, the notorious invasive plant that can damage buildings and get homeowners prosecuted if it spreads.

Originating in East Asia and first brought to Britain by the Victorians, bamboo is a popular planting choice for protecting overlooked gardens.

But experts say its location near garden boundaries increases the risk of it spreading to neighboring properties.

And with its ability to grow 5 feet in a year and reach heights of over 18 feet, the damage can be catastrophic.

Extending up to 30 feet through its long lateral roots, bamboo has the ability to traverse bricks, gutters, patios, walls with cavities, and even cracks in concrete.

A new YouGov survey of more than 2,000 people found that almost a fifth (18 per cent) of British adults have had bamboo on their own property or on an adjacent property.

However, despite the serious threat posed by bamboo, less than a quarter would be concerned if it grew near their home, suggesting a lack of awareness of the risks.

Last year, a bamboo infestation at a house in Hampshire that had spread from next door took advantage of a weakness in the foundation to emerge into the living room, hall and kitchen, resulting in the digging up of the entire ground floor at a cost of over £100,000.

Nic Seal, founder and managing director of Environet, said: “Bamboo encroachment is one of the most common problems we deal with as, unlike knuckles, it is still traded and sold in garden centers all over the world. the country without realizing the risks”. – and planted directly into the ground by unsuspecting homeowners.

‘There are hundreds of varieties of bamboo and it can take ten years, but most types will become invasive over time.

“As these cases become more common, I wouldn’t be surprised if mortgage lenders start to take a closer look at the problem and impose lending restrictions, similar to those of the Japanese lotus nut.”