Pensioner battles poisonous 15ft high giant hogweed plants

More than 20 of the potentially lethal plants are growing in the Ecchinswell garden of Gladys Bennett. Mrs Bennett, aged 80, said she felt landlords Sentinel Housing Association were not interested in her appeals for help in removing the 15ft high invaders.
But the association said it was unaware of her plight until this week and has vowed to take urgent action.
The plants have a poisonous sap which can cause agonising blisters, scarring and even blindness. Mrs Bennett says her doctor confirmed the painful red sores on her legs, which are not responding to treatment, could have been caused by coming into contact with the toxic plant.
She said: “It’s so worrying that I’m closing my windows at night because of all the pollen and seeds coming from the plants. “I had no idea just how dangerous they could be, but it would explain the sores on my legs that appeared last July.
I would always be out in the garden and brushing up against it. It’s very painful and you don’t get much sleep with it, I can tell you.”
She added: “I have spoken to the housing association but they just don’t seem interested. The council came out to cut my front garden just yesterday but said they wouldn’t touch the back because there was too much garden. I just want these plants gone now.”
Mrs Bennett says she first noticed the plants growing several years ago, but only discovered how dangerous they could be after reading a national newspaper article published last weekend.
She has been advised by her doctor to contact the Environment Agency to get the plants removed if the problem is not sorted by Sentinel.
The giant hogweed, a tall, cow parsley-like plant with thick bristly stems and white flowers, is also causing concern among neighbours.
Doreen Bishop, who said: “I am very concerned. It really is quite frightening. I have a four-and-a-half-year-old nephew who wants to come around and play in the garden but I don’t want him to go anywhere near it.”
Sentinel say they were only informed of the issue this week and promised to investigate. Head of property services, Peter Lee, said: “On Tuesday 8 July 2014 we were told about the suspected giant hogweed... as soon as we heard about this we asked our contractor to take a look at the plant to confirm whether it actually is giant hogweed. If this is confirmed, we’ll take action to professionally treat the plant. This will kill off what’s already growing and prevent it spreading into other areas.”
The Royal Horticultural Society advises anyone handling giant hogweed to always wear gloves, cover arms and legs and wear a face mask when working on or near it and to wash any skin that comes in contact with the plant immediately.