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Lady Bay to host council weed spraying trial

The county council will test different ways of controlling weeds through a trial in Lady Bay. 

Four different forms of weed control will be used as part of the trial, all of which have been chosen so that the county council can assess methods which reduce or eliminate the use of conventional weed killers which are normally applied across the county twice a year.

The trial during the 2022/23 growing season will see the Lady Bay area split into four zones:

• The south-western section of Lady Bay will be treated with a conventional weed killer using a ‘spray on demand’ approach.
• The south-eastern section of Lady Bay – and along Trent Boulevard – will be treated twice. The first application of conventional weed killer will take place as normal however, the second application will be limited to localised ‘spot’ spraying. 
• The north-western section of Lady Bay will see conventional weed killer replaced with a solution of ascetic acid (i.e., vinegar). This method will only affect the foliage which has been sprayed therefore, some weeds with well-developed root systems could survive and regrow.
• The north-eastern section of Lady Bay will see weed spraying being replaced entirely with the use of a thermal (i.e., heated air) technique. As with ascetic acid, thermal techniques only effect the foliage which has been directly treated and regrowth may occur.

Residents living on streets marked as ‘spray on demand’ should contact the council’s Customer Services Centre on 0300 500 8080 to request spraying.

Once the trial has begun, close monitoring will look at the performance of the different methods against the current weed spraying routine.

Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said: “This trial will build on our unanimously agreed recommendations from the Highways Review Panel, which included investigating alternative weed spraying treatments and a reactive weed spraying trial.

“We know that residents have concerns about weed spraying and so this trial will directly respond to those to test whether alternative methods can be used.

“The four methods included in the trial will be tested against the current weed spraying treatment which will continue to take place in other areas of the county.

“I am really looking forward to hearing the results of this trial which will then inform our future decisions.” 

Residents living in the Lady Bay area should contact the Customer Services Centre on 0300 500 8080 if they have any concerns about weed spraying.