Contents of this page:
- Reporting weeds
- When we treat weeds
- Where we treat weeds
- How we treat weeds
- Why we treat weeds
- About the products we use
- What to expect after treatment
- People, pets and wildlife
- Injurious or harmful weeds
Reporting weeds
The weed treatment service is delivered on a planned schedule, so we may not respond to one-off requests for routine weed spraying.
You can still report:
- injurious weeds, such as Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed
- safety-related vegetation issues, such as vegetation blocking visibility, or causing trip hazards
We do not treat weeds on private property.
Use our eForm to report a concern with weeds on public land.
Report a problem with weeds or moss
When we treat weeds
We carry out two planned weed treatment programmes each year. These typically take place in early spring (March/April) and late summer (August/September), ensuring effective control across the main growing periods.
Treatment dates may vary depending on weather conditions and weed growth and operations are carried out in phases, so not all areas will be treated at the same time.
We may not respond to weed spraying requests if treatment of the area is part of our planned schedule.
Where we treat weeds
Weed treatments are carried out only on land maintained by the Council. Unadopted highways, private land, and private roads are excluded from the programme and remain the responsibility of the relevant landowners. Weed spraying is not undertaken in parks or play areas.
Areas may choose to opt out of the weed-spraying programme, with residents taking responsibility for managing unwanted vegetation. Opt-out requests must be agreed by the relevant local councillors and confirmed by 1 March each year.
Residents in opt-out areas must be willing and able to maintain weed growth to an acceptable standard throughout the year. Requests must demonstrate collective agreement across an entire street, rather than relying on individual households, to avoid gaps in maintenance should residents move.
New opt-out areas cannot be added once the annual list has been confirmed, and all opt-out requests must cover at least a full street.
In areas that have opted out, the Public Realm service will not carry out herbicide spraying or manual weed removal.
How we treat weeds
Different teams work on different surfaces across the city. We use a combination of:
- ride-on quadbike sprayers for most pavements and roadside channels
- pedestrian teams using handheld or backpack sprayers for narrow, obstructed or difficult to reach hard surfaces
- pedestrian teams treating soft or porous surfaces, such as verges
- estate workers, who treat council housing land separately
- city centre teams, who treat the city centre on foot and with specialist equipment
- mechanical street sweeping, carried out after vegetation has died back, normally at least 4 weeks after spraying
This combined approach ensures all areas are appropriately treated and improves cleanliness by removing decaying vegetation that would otherwise encourage new growth.
We use professionally approved plant protection products that are authorised for use in the UK. All products are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), through its Chemicals Regulation Division. These products have been assessed for human, animal and environmental safety and are considered low risk when used correctly and in accordance with the product label.
All herbicides are applied at the lowest concentration recommended by the manufacturer to be effective. This ensures effective vegetation control while minimising the amount of product used.
All treatments are applied by trained and certified operatives.
Why we treat weeds
We treat weeds to maintain safe, clean, and accessible streets and public spaces. Uncontrolled weed growth can obstruct footways, reduce visibility at junctions, damage surfaces such as pavements and kerbs, and contribute to drainage issues. Regular treatment helps prevent deterioration of infrastructure, supports road and pedestrian safety, and ensures the city remains well presented for residents and visitors.
About the products we use
Products are carefully selected and their application is based on surface type, location and the nature of the vegetation, ensuring the most appropriate treatment is used in each setting and avoiding unnecessary chemical use. We minimise our use of glyphosate wherever possible, and our new integrated approach places greater emphasis on using non glyphosate and biological alternatives on suitable surfaces. However, glyphosate remains the most effective and reliable weed control option available to us on certain hard surfaces and for tackling more resilient species. For this reason, it is used where no other product provides the required level of control.
The types of treatment we use include:
Non residual systemic herbicides (hard surfaces)
Used on hard, non porous surfaces such as pavements, kerb edges and road channels. These treatments are absorbed through the leaves of weeds and act throughout the plant to the roots, ensuring complete control rather than just removing visible growth. They have no residual effect in soil and are broken down naturally after application.
Residual herbicides (soft and porous surfaces)
Used on soil based and permeable surfaces such as shrub beds, tree bases, fence lines and around obstacles. These treatments prevent weed seedlings from establishing, providing longer lasting control and reducing the need for repeat applications. They bind to soil particles, limiting movement beyond the treated area.
Plant based contact herbicides (targeted control)
Used where rapid control of young, actively growing weeds is required on amenity vegetation and permeable surfaces. These treatments act on contact with foliage, do not move through the soil or plant roots, and are fully biodegradable, leaving no long term residues.
Selective spot treatments (invasive or injurious weeds)
Used only for the targeted treatment of invasive or injurious weeds. Applications are carried out as spot treatments to individual plants rather than wide area spraying, allowing effective control while avoiding unnecessary treatment of surrounding vegetation.
Surface biocides
Used on hard surfaces where organic growth may cause slippery conditions or surface deterioration. These treatments are not weedkillers, do not persist in the environment, and provide a gradual, long lasting improvement.
What to expect after treatment
Because of how weed treatments work:
- only weeds that are actively growing at the time are affected.
- weeds begin to die back within around 10 days, but may take longer depending on weather.
- new weeds emerging after treatment will not be affected until the next cycle
- weeds may still be visible while they die back or before mechanical sweeping takes place.
Where accessible, we carry out mechanical sweeping after vegetation has died back, normally around 4 weeks after spraying. This removes dead growth from pavements and channels, helping to improve street cleanliness and prevent new seeds from establishing.
People, pets and wildlife
To minimise any unnecessary exposure to the public, pets or wildlife:
- All operatives are fully trained and appropriately certified.
- Application equipment is designed to prevent over application and spray drift.
- Spraying does not take place in unsuitable weather conditions.
- Extra care is taken around schools and other high footfall areas.
- Treatments are applied only to visible weed growth.
There is no requirement for residents or pets to remain indoors following spraying. As a precaution, people may choose to avoid direct contact with treated vegetation until it has dried.
Injurious or harmful weeds
We maintain a live list of locations where injurious weeds such as Japanese knotweed or giant hogweed are present.
These are treated through targeted spot treatment, using specialist products.