The BBC consumer programme ‘Rip Off Britain’ earlier this week broadcasted a story on Japanese knotweed.

It featured a lady in the Midlands unable to get a mortgage due to Japanese knotweed on adjoining land owned by a local council. Sadly, this type of story is all too common. However, with the correct advice, the right treatment plan and an insurance backed guarantee underwritten by an A-rated insurer, that does not need to be the case.

The programme included a number of inaccuracies, notably a knotweed expert talking knowledgeably whilst the broadcaster showed “Japanese knotweed” pictures which was clearly not Japanese knotweed!

The programme also talked about the local council who have been treating a stand of knotweed for over 10 years and claimed to be killing it. If Environet took 10 years to kill knotweed, and still got regrowth, I’m pretty sure we would not still be in business today! Not all methods are the same and the quality of Guarantees offered by so called experts can differ enormously.