Do you live in a Japanese Knotweed hotspot on the Isle of Wight?

A new map by Environet has revealed the hotspots for Japanese Knotweed.

New figures show that Newport and Ventnor are the worst hit areas for knotweed, with 54 incidents each.

There is a total of 325 verified knotweed sightings across the Isle of Wight, or 0.85 incidences in every 1km², ranking it tenth on England's Japanese Knotweed hotspots.

Users can enter their postcode directly into the map to find out knotweed sightings within a 4km radius, with hotspots highlighted on the map.

The Isle of Wight's top five Japanese Knotweed hotspots for 2024 are:

  • Newport: 54
  • Ventnor: 54
  • Shanklin: 47
  • Ryde: 31
  • Bembridge: 31

The Environment Agency describe Japanese Knotweed as “indisputably the UK’s most aggressive, destructive and invasive plant."

It usually emerges in March or April, and its hard, bamboo-like canes can reach up to 2.5m high by mid-summer.

Environet identifies the key characteristics of Japanese Knotweed as red shoots emerging in spring that look like asparagus, shield-shaped leaves and small, cream-coloured flowers developing towards the end of the summer.

The government recommend that people should not treat knotweed themselves unless they have the appropriate skills and experience, and to seek companies that specialise in treating knotweed.

The government also suggest spraying knotweed with approved herbicides to prevent spreading.