Thank you everyone for your messages of concern about damage caused to plants and grass in Wickhambrook, which has been traced back to spraying of pavements and footpaths on or around 1st May.
I have now heard back from Havebury Housing Association, who have advised that none of the areas affected are areas for which they are responsible, and that they do not spray with herbicide.
West Suffolk have advised that it does not use herbicide (unless requested specifically by parishes where it fulfils a grounds contract on their behalf – not the case for Wickhambrook) in its District. They have further checked vehicle tracking software and established that none of their landscape teams were passing through or stopping in Wickhambrook on 1st May (their most recent cut was 25th April). West Suffolk have included Wickhambrook in this week’s cutting schedule.
I have logged issues on Suffolk Report a Problem (please check that yours has been logged – if not, you can log at https://highwaysreporting.suffolk.gov.uk/. Some of these have been closed (reason – Suffolk Highways updated customer).
I have also been in touch with our Highways Community Liaison Officer who is trying to establish what has happened and is waiting for feedback from the Winter and Cyclical Team. I have also forwarded to them images sent to me of different areas of the village, and information from clerks of other parishes which have been affected (this includes the information published to Suffolk CC Website about weed control schedules – you can find information here: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads-pavements-and-verges/trees-grass-and-weeds/weed-control. This page also includes a Quick Guide: Weed Treatment, which sets out what Suffolk does and when, the spray used (a Monsanto Amenity Glyphosate systemic solution – approved for use in the UK as safe for use in areas open to the public and their pets). It takes approximately 2 weeks to take effect on weeds and their roots. It is not yet definitively established that the spraying was undertaken by Suffolk Highways, so this may not have been the spray used.
The areas affected are due to be inspected by both Suffolk Highways and West Suffolk District Council this week. Our SC Community Liaison Officer has commented that while that some residents will wish to wait until the outcome of the respective investigations, if any resident does want to begin to repair their property, they should ensure they take photographs to record the damage before proceeding.
I will keep you updated as I receive more information.