Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Highways Agency is taking to remove ragwort from (a) roadsides and (b) other land for which the Highways Agency is responsible.

The Highways Agency has an obligation to take account of ragwort and other injurious weeds growing on verges and other land for which it is responsible. In common with other landowners they are subject to the provisions of the Weeds Act 1959 as amended by the Ragwort Control Act 2003.

On roadsides along the Strategic Road Network and other land under its control the Agency requires its service providers to follow the Defra Code of Practice to control ragwort. The code promotes a risk based approach with targeted use of control measures in locations close to land used either for animal grazing or fodder production. The principle measures used by the Agency are spot treatment with herbicide in spring and early summer followed by hand pulling of the weed later in the season.