Our first house had a small garden - about 15ft by 30 - which when we moved in was covered, every inch, in Japanese Knotweed . This was before the Internet existed so we had to find out about it from books. We hacked it all down, and of course it grew back. Dug it out - of course couldn't get all the bits: it grew back. We sprayed it with glyphosate - it grew back, but weaker. Eventually we turfed over the whole lot and just kept mowing. It eventually only grew back in very small but still identifiable plants, which we attacked with anguished cries and dug out by hand. We lived there for four years and it was still appearing. It didn't help that the garden of the empty house next door still had a healthy crop of the evil stuff! Nowadays I'd know to contact the council to see if there was any way to require the owners of the empty house to do something about it. The odd bit occasionally used to appear in our present garden, and we lost no time in pulling it out so it never took hold. I actually dreamed about the stuff once.
I would tell your local authority who may be able to help. That will also cover you for any possible reporting requirements, if they exist. Try DEFRA too?
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Our first house had a small garden - about 15ft by 30 - which when we moved in was covered, every inch, in Japanese Knotweed . This was before the Internet existed so we had to find out about it from books. We hacked it all down, and of course it grew back. Dug it out - of course couldn't get all the bits: it grew back. We sprayed it with glyphosate - it grew back, but weaker. Eventually we turfed over the whole lot and just kept mowing. It eventually only grew back in very small but still identifiable plants, which we attacked with anguished cries and dug out by hand. We lived there for four years and it was still appearing. It didn't help that the garden of the empty house next door still had a healthy crop of the evil stuff! Nowadays I'd know to contact the council to see if there was any way to require the owners of the empty house to do something about it. The odd bit occasionally used to appear in our present garden, and we lost no time in pulling it out so it never took hold. I actually dreamed about the stuff once.
I would tell your local authority who may be able to help. That will also cover you for any possible reporting requirements, if they exist. Try DEFRA too?