Expert names common garden plants that can rocket the value of your home
Property owners are being advised about plants they can introduce to their gardens which could increase their home's value. Your garden can serve a crucial function in determining your property's worth when the time comes to sell. Well-tended, mature plants are particularly desirable as they minimise the requirement for continued maintenance.
From blooming shrubs and climbing plants to sophisticated trees, these varieties can turn a garden into a precious commodity that boosts a home's total value. Gardening specialists at GardeningExpress.co.uk suggest that carefully selected plants such as hydrangeas, roses and Japanese maples can improve street appeal whilst needing little upkeep.
Numerous evergreen hedges bring personality and structure to a property, with types like yew or boxwood providing all-year framework and substantially improving street appeal.
A strategically positioned, established tree can also provide multiple advantages, from visual attractiveness to shelter, produce, and drawing in wildlife, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Chris Bonnett, garden expert and owner of GardeningExpress, said: "Having a variety of lush plants in your garden always enhances the outdoor space, adding colour, aromas, and inviting wildlife. While it can be challenging to establish some plants, like mature trees or flowering shrubs, once thriving, they offer exceptional value to any property."
Eight garden plants that can boost your home's value, according to the experts:
Hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are stunning flowers with large, ornamental flower heads that will add a touch of elegance to your garden, offering a range of hues from blue to pink - depending on the pH level of your soil.
Not only are hydrangeas pleasing to the eye, but they also require minimal upkeep once established which is fantastic for homeowners seeking a flourishing garden without much effort.
Japanese maples
Japanese maples are cherished for their delicate, intricately shaped leaves and striking colours, varying from deep reds to soft greens throughout the year.
These elegant trees bring a sense of calm and sophistication to any garden and are relatively low-maintenance. They can enhance a garden's design, contributing to the value of the outdoor space.
Magnolias
Magnolias are recognised for their large, fragrant blooms and glossy green leaves. These gorgeous trees signal the arrival of spring, with flowers blooming in shades of white, pink, or purple. They create a spectacular display when planted as a focal point tree, adding elegance to front gardens or lawn areas.
Olive trees
Olive trees provide a Mediterranean feel in the garden. Highly desired for their sculptural form and silvery-green foliage, they flourish in a variety of conditions and require minimal maintenance once established. Not only do olive trees offer visual appeal, but their fruit is also excellent for culinary use.
Fruit trees
A mature fruit tree is a treasure in any garden, not only for its seasonal bounty but also for the stunning visual appeal it brings. Whether adorned with blossoms or laden with fruit, these trees provide year-round interest and can become a striking centrepiece. They're perfect for drawing in birds, bees, and other wildlife, injecting life and biodiversity into your garden.
Roses
Roses, with their beauty and fragrance, are an enduring favourite in gardens worldwide. With a vast array of colours, shapes, and fragrances, they can complement both traditional and contemporary landscapes. Blooming from spring to autumn, roses infuse any outdoor space with vibrant colour and charm.
Lavender
Lavender is renowned for its delightful scent and striking purple hue, adding a captivating feature to your garden. Not only does it enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of your garden, but it also attracts butterflies and bees, fostering a healthy and lively environment. These attributes can significantly enhance your home's kerb appeal, creating a welcoming, fragrant atmosphere.
Evergreen hedging
Evergreen hedges such as yew or boxwood provide both privacy and structure to a garden. Once established, these plants lend a neat, well-maintained appearance to outdoor spaces.
They offer year-round interest and serve as a classic backdrop to the rest of your garden. These varieties are also excellent for topiary, adding decorative interest and shape to your garden.
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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Plucky dog sentenced to death after saving British soldiers' lives in brutal prison camp
Judy the pointer became the only animal to be recognised as a prisoner of war during WWII - and she managed to save multiple lives with her plucky spirit The medal citation is simple but powerful: 'For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese Prison Camps... and for saving many lives.' But the honour does not belong to one of the brave troops who battled in the Far East campaign of WWII but to a dog. Judy the pointer was the only animal to be officially recognised as a prisoner of war in the conflict, and one of a handful to receive the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. It comes after a mum claimed 'I accidentally named baby after dog food brand and I don't know what to do'. Now, ahead of the 80th commemorations of VJ Day on August 15, her incredible story of capture, survival and courage is being brought to life for the next generation in a new book. War Dog, by children's author Tom Palmer, charts Judy's astonishing life-saving heroics and stands as testimony to the love and loyalty of our canine companions, even in the most difficult of circumstances. 'There are still stories to be uncovered about the war and Judy's is utterly fascinating,' says Tom, a dad-of-one and dog owner from Halifax, West Yorks, who has written more than 60 children's books. 'What she did is unbelievable. It feels almost made-up but it's totally true. There are contemporaneous accounts from former PoWs who were with her in Japan and saw her actions with their own eyes. 'I want the book to show how animals bring hope in difficult times. I also want it to try to explain conflict. War is difficult for children to grasp. But understanding its significance helps them make sense of what's happening today.' Judy' story began in Shanghai in 1936 where she was born as part of a litter of seven in kennels used by Europeans expats. She was subsequently bought by the Royal Navy as a ship's mascot for HMS Gnat, part of the defence fleet in the Far East. Animals would often be adopted by warship crews to help with pest control and to boost morale. Judy proved a popular addition, alerting the crew to the presence of river pirates trying to board in the darkness. She and some crew later served on HMS Grasshopper and it was here she found herself at the outbreak of war against Japan in December 1941. As Allied forces retreated, the vessel was bombed by Japanese aircraft and troops were forced to abandon ship. It was now that the dog's resourcefulness showed, and her first life-saving act occurred. Marooned briefly in an uninhabited island without water, members of the crew were saved after Judy located a freshwater spring from which to drink. She and her human comrades headed for Sumatra hoping to unite with other fleeing Allied forces but the move was in vain. The troops had already left. Having survived a jungle alligator attack, Judy and her crew were immediately taken as prisoners of war by Japanese forces. 'Conditions in the camps were horrendous,' explains Imperial War Museum curator Simon Offord. 'It was hot, humid and diseases such as malaria, typhus and dysentery were rife. 'Japan had not signed up to the Geneva Convention so food was scarce and any infraction was met with punishment – beatings and even executions. 'There is a reason why many of those who returned chose not to talk about their experience afterwards.' Within days of capture, the British men and their dog were billeted in Medan in north Sumatra and Judy met the man who would become her lifetime companion, Leading Aircraftman Frank Williams. In a later interview, Frank recalled: 'I remember thinking, 'What on earth is a beautiful pointer doing here with no-one to care for her?' I realised that even though she was thin, she was a survivor.' Frank, originally from Portsmouth, began sharing his meagre meals of boiled rice with Judy. He also managed to persuade his captors to register her as a PoW so she could have her own rations. She repaid his kindness, and that of his comrades, in spades, fighting off snakes and scorpions in the camp and hunting for rabbits to eat. Judy helped lift morale, barking and growling to distract Japanese guards when they were meting out punishments, often putting herself in danger. Simon says: 'There is a special relationship, I think, between animals and humans in theatres of war. They undergo the same dangers and privations,' reflects Simon. By mid 1944, the PoWs were being moved from Medan to Singapore but there was a problem, dogs were not allowed on board the transfer ship. Undeterred, Frank taught Judy how to jump into a sack and stay perfectly still. She spent three hours in silence on his back as he and his comrades were forced to stand on deck in searing heat. But their problems were only just beginning. The ship, packed with 700 troops, was torpedoed. More than 500 men died. Frank survived but pushed Judy out of a porthole to save her. It was later reported the dog was spotted trying to help the floundering men around her, pushing pieces of wood towards non-swimmers. Frank was captured, yet astonishingly man and dog were reunited a month later at a camp in Singapore, Judy having been pulled out of the water by a fellow survivor. He recalled: 'I couldn't believe my eyes. I'd never been so glad to see the old girl. And I think she felt the same!' The pair, together with thousands of others, spent the next year cutting through the jungle to lay railway tracks. It was Judy's job to warn of approaching tigers. She regularly escaped being shot at by guards and was finally sentenced to death. She fled into the jungle, reappearing days later when, with the war nearing its end, Japanese forces abandoned the camp. Judy was smuggled back to the UK on board a troopship. She was awarded the Dickin medal in 1946. The full citation reads: 'For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, which helped to maintain morale among her fellow prisoners and also saving many lives through her intelligence and watchfulness.' She spent the following months with Frank visiting and bringing comfort to relatives of PoWs who had not survived. She remained by Frank's side until the day she died in 1950 and was buried in her RAF jacket with her campaign medals: the Pacific Star, Defence Medal and 1939-1945 Star. Her collar and Dickin medal are held by the Imperial War Museum. A bronze statue of Judy is now part of the National Military Working Dogs Memorial in Holywell, North Wales. Simon, author of the book Animals in Wartime, said: 'There were 16 million animals who took part in WWI when every gun, every ambulance had to be moved by horse. Even in WWII, pigeons were used by the RAF. Bomber aircraft carried them in pairs so if the crew was shot down, the birds could fly back to raise the alert. 'Judy's story is remarkable. It exemplifies the inscription on every Dickin medal: 'We Also Serve'.' War Dog, written by Tom Palmer and illustrated by Carolina Rabei, is out on August 14, published by Scholastic.
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Flesh hung like ribbons from bones…ghostly figures collapsed, never to rise – inside horrors of WW2 atomic bomb
Read on for the story of how the destructive force of 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' brought decades of peace to the world CLOUDS OF DEATH Flesh hung like ribbons from bones…ghostly figures collapsed, never to rise – inside horrors of WW2 atomic bomb Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT was the day that changed the world for ever – when the first atomic bomb brought Armageddon to Japan. Oscar-winning 2023 film Oppenheimer tells how the world's most destructive weapon was created. But it does not show the A-bomb being used in action. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 The explosion of the first atom bomb, Little Boy, devastates Hiroshima - instantly killing up to 100,000 people Credit: Getty 9 The bomb that hit Hiroshima, nicknamed Little Boy, was 10ft long and 28inches in diameter and had the explosive force of 20,000 tonnes of TNT Credit: Getty - Contributor 9 Enola Gay on the day of its attack on Hiroshima Credit: Getty Next week marks 80 years since scientist Robert Oppenheimer's nuclear bombs obliterated two Japanese cities, ending World War Two. Incredibly, the weapon that could destroy all life has since brought eight decades of peace, through fear of mutual destruction. Here, minute by minute, we detail the story movie viewers did not see – of how US President Harry Truman approved the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, before Japan's Emperor Hirohito surrendered six days later. MONDAY AUG 6, 1945 1.30am (Japan), 2.30am local time: Nine days after US President Harry Truman had warned Japan to surrender or face 'prompt and utter destruction', a US Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber emerges from a top-secret compound at the world's busiest airbase. READ MORE WORLD NEWS 'INSANE' FIND Medieval knight's 1,000-year-old tomb is unearthed beneath ice cream shop Lieut-Col Paul Tibbets, 29, is at the controls of the plane, named Enola Gay after his 57-year-old mother, on the Pacific island of Tinian, 1,500 miles from the Japanese mainland. In the hold is only one warhead — a bomb so deadly that it could not be armed in advance in case the plane crashed on the runway, wiping the US base off the face of the Earth. The device, nicknamed Little Boy, is 10ft long and 28inches in diameter and has the explosive force of 20,000 tonnes of TNT. Physicist Harold Agnew, who would be flying alongside to monitor the explosion, confessed later: 'That bomb was completely unsafe. If they'd crashed, anything could have happened.' 1.40am: Photographers and film crews surround the Enola Gay, which is lit up by spotlights as her ten-man crew pose for photos. Theodore 'Dutch' Van Kirk, who was on his 59th mission, recalled: 'There were all these people — photographers, newspapermen — everywhere. It looked like a Hollywood premiere.' 1.45am: Heavily overloaded with the five-tonne bomb on board, Enola Gay rumbles down the 1.6mile runway and takes off with 200ft to spare. Inside the eerie abandoned Los Alamos lab where Oppenheimer created the weapon that could wipe out the world Behind are two more planes with nicknames — The Great Artiste, carrying scientific instruments to record the blast, and Necessary Evil, with a camera crew on board to film the explosion and damage. Ahead lies a six-hour flight in a moonless sky. 2.20am: Also on board Enola Gay is US Navy captain William 'Deke' Parsons, 43, who had witnessed the horror of Oppenheimer's atomic test in the New Mexico desert and described it as 'the hottest and brightest thing since the creation'. Parsons, along with electronics specialist Morris Jeppson, 23, wriggle into the crammed bomb bay to carry out the 11-step process of arming Little Boy. Working by flashlight for 15 minutes, they insert a fuse and four bags of cordite gunpowder that will detonate the bomb, which contains 64kg of highly enriched uranium. 4.15am: Van Kirk would recall: 'That morning, the sunrise was the most beautiful I'd ever seen.' 6.25am: Jeppson returns to the bay to make final adjustments. Little Boy is now fully armed. 7.09am: Straight Flush, one of three US weather reconnaissance bombers sent to check out three possible cities to attack, is seen over Hiroshima, home to 245,000 people. On the ground, Hiroshima's citizens have heard a rumour that the Americans were saving something for their city because, for the last two months, US planes had been dropping harmless orange bombs, the same size as Little Boy. Oppenheimer had warned that the bomb's shockwave could crush his plane like a giant hand swatting an ant. 7.30am: Over the intercom, Tibbets announces: 'It's Hiroshima.' Co-pilot Captain Robert Lewis, 27, writes in his report: 'There will be a short intermission while we bomb our target.' 8.10am: Flying at 285mph, Enola Gay reaches 31,000ft. Her crew, now wearing flak jackets and welder's goggles, search for their aiming point, the T-shaped Aioi Bridge in Hiroshima city centre. Akihiro Takahashi, 14, is in the playground of a high school, watching the bomber overhead. 8.15am +16seconds: An alarm sounds as Bombardier Major Thomas Ferebee releases Little Boy, which nosedives towards the earth. Engines screaming, Tibbets turns Enola Gay into a steep diving turn of exactly 159 degrees. Oppenheimer had warned that the bomb's shockwave could crush his plane like a giant hand swatting an ant. 8.16am +2seconds: Little Boy explodes at 1,890ft above the ground, creating a fireball of 10,000F — the same as the surface of the sun. The explosion rips through Hiroshima's Communications Hospital. Of 150 doctors in the city, 65 are already dead and most of the rest are wounded. Some 1,654 of 1,780 nurses are also killed or too hurt to work. At the Red Cross Hospital, the city's biggest, only six doctors out of 30 are fit to function. One of them is surgeon Dr Terufumi Sasaki, who is trying to deal with at least 10,000 wounded who descend on the hospital, which has just 600 beds. Van Kirk recalls: 'Everybody was waiting for that bomb to go off because there was a real possibility it was going to be a dud.' Despite wearing goggles, the explosion 'was like a photographer's flash going off in your face'. Tail gunner, George 'Bob' Caron screams: 'Here it comes!' Moments later, the shockwave hits them, followed by a huge radioactive cloud that can be seen from 400 miles away. 9 8.17am: As Enola Gay levels off, Tibbets tells his crew: 'Fellows, you have just dropped the first atomic bomb in history.' The B-29's crew look for Hiroshima. Van Kirk says later: 'You couldn't see it. It was covered in smoke, dust, debris. 'And coming out of it was that mushroom cloud.' Lewis writes in his log: 'Just how many did we kill? My God, what have we done?' More than 100,000 people in Hiroshima die in an instant. Another 40,000 would succumb to their injuries, while thousands more would suffer death by radiation poisoning. In the devastated city centre, 8,000 children aged 12 and 13, helping clear firebreaks to limit damage from air raids, are vapourised as the fireball engulfs the wooden buildings. Eiko Taoka, 21, is on a tram clutching her year-old son as she hears a screaming noise and the sky goes black. Fragments of glass suddenly appear in the baby's head. He looks up at his mother and smiles. That smile will haunt Eiko for the rest of her life. Her little boy will live for three more weeks. Akihiro Takahashi is blown across the playground, his skin on fire. He staggers to the Ota River to cool his burns, jumping into the water just as the huge wall of flame engulfs the city. 10am: Faced with such devastation, Lewis believes the Japanese will have surrendered by the time Enola Gay lands back at Tinian. He signs off his log: 'Everyone got a few catnaps.' Akihiro climbs out of the Ota River and finds a school friend, Tokujiro Hatta, who has burnt feet and his muscles are exposed beneath peeled skin. They head slowly home with Tokujiro crawling on his knees and elbows and leaning on Akihiro as he walks on his heels. Thousands of naked, badly burnt people are also shuffling out of the city. Setsuko Nakamura, 13, would recall: 'Some had eyeballs hanging out of their sockets. Strips of flesh hung like ribbons from their bones. 'Often, these ghostly figures would collapse in heaps, never to rise again. With a few surviving classmates, I joined the procession, carefully stepping over the dead and dying.' 1.58pm: Enola Gay lands back on Tinian 12 hours and 13 minutes after take-off. In Hiroshima Akihiro spots his great-aunt and uncle walking towards them. He said it was like 'seeing the Buddha in the depths of hell'. Akihiro would survive after months in hospital, but his friend Tokujiro died. In 1980, Akihiro met Enola Gay's pilot Paul Tibbets in Washington DC. 3.05pm: Tibbets is first out of Enola Gay. Waiting for him are 100 men, including General Carl Spaatz, commander of US Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific, who pins the Distinguished Service Cross on Tibbets's chest. 9 Lieut-Col Paul Tibbets, 29, is at the controls of the plane, named Enola Gay after his 57-year-old mother Credit: Getty 9 With no sign of surrender, the US prepared to drop 'Fat Man' — a plutonium bomb 40% more powerful than Little Boy Credit: Getty 9 A victim of 'Fat Man', the Nagasaki bomb, is burned beyond recognition 4.20pm: Enola Gay's crew undergo radiation tests plus examinations to see if their eyes have been damaged. All pass. 10pm: A party is held on Tinian, while Captain Parsons, Enola Gay's weapons expert, signs documents confirming Little Boy was deployed. Meanwhile, at the Red Cross Hospital in Hiroshima, worn out and wearing glasses taken from a wounded nurse after his specs were lost in the explosion, Dr Sasaki wanders the corridors, binding up the worst wounds. WHEN the Americans do not hear any sign of surrender from Japan, they decide a second, bigger, atomic bomb is needed. This explosive, 'Fat Man', is 40 per cent more powerful than Little Boy. With no electricity, he works by the light of fires still burning outside and candles held by the ten remaining nurses. Patients are dying in their hundreds. The stench of death is overwhelming. 11.55am Eastern War Time: President Truman is on USS Augusta, heading home from the Potsdam Conference in Germany where, with British PM Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin, he had warned Japan of the consequences of failure to surrender. He is handed an urgent War Department message: 'Hiroshima was bombed at 7.15pm Washington time August 5 . . . results clear cut, successful in all respects.' Truman shouts: 'This is the greatest thing in history!' The crew cheer and bang their lunch tables. One sailor says: 'Mr President, I guess that means I'll get home sooner now.' TUESDAY, AUGUST 7 WHEN the Americans do not hear any sign of surrender from Japan, they decide a second, bigger, atomic bomb is needed. This explosive, 'Fat Man', is 40 per cent more powerful than Little Boy, with a core made of plutonium rather than uranium. THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 2.47am (Japan time): US Air Force B-29 bomber Bockscar, piloted by Major Charles Sweeney, who had been on the Hiroshima mission, sets off from Tinian. The target is the city of Kokura in Japan's west — with Nagasaki as a back-up in case of bad weather. 8.44am: Sweeney's crew arrives above Kokura and finds the city covered in fog. They attempt three bomb runs, but cancel each one at the last moment because they cannot see anything below. 10.32am: After 'animated discussions', the crew decides to fly on to the secondary target, Nagasaki, 95 miles south. Nagasaki was only added to the list because US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, had happy memories of staying 19 years earlier in Kyoto, the original No1 target. Nagasaki was added instead after Stimson insisted: 'I don't want Kyoto bombed.' 10.58am: Arriving at Nagasaki, Bockscar only has enough fuel for one pass over the bustling city, which is also covered in fog. 11am +50seconds: Bombardier Captain Kermit Beahan yells: 'I see a hole!' But the gap in the cloud is above an area several miles away from the point they had planned to drop the bomb. 11.01am +13seconds: Beahan shouts: 'Bombs away!' and releases the most powerful atomic bomb ever used in warfare. 11.02am: Fat Man detonates 1,650ft above the harbour city. Sweeney later says this bomb seems 'more intense, more angry' than the one he watched fall on Hiroshima. Everyone within one mile of ground zero is vaporised — at least 40,000 people die instantly. About 30,000 more will rapidly die from burns and injuries. Despite Fat Man being more powerful than the Hiroshima weapon — with a core temperature of up to 1.8million F — the death toll is far less. That is because this bomb falls in a valley, and the sides contain some of its spread. Just outside the vaporisation zone, British prisoner of war Geoffrey Sherring is trying to light a cigarette when 'a very, very brilliant and powerful light' fills the sky, 'completely eclipsing the sun'. He will later recall: 'It was the colour of a welding flash, a blue, mostly ultraviolet flash.' Geoffrey then feels the 'thundering, rolling, shaking' of the bomb's shockwave. This brings down a wall in the camp, which crushes fellow prisoner Corporal Ronald Shaw. The 25-year-old, from Edmonton, North London, is the first British person to be killed in an atomic bombing. 11.06am: Bockscar's crew decides to head to the US air base at Okinawa because they do not have enough fuel to reach Tinian. 11.30am: Japan's Supreme War Council is in the middle of a meeting in Tokyo to discuss a possible conditional surrender when a messenger arrives with news of the Nagasaki blast. Noon: Bockscar begins its descent into Okinawa, with less than one minute of fuel left. Sweeney takes the mic and shouts: 'I'm coming straight in!' He lands and another crew member later recalls: 'A bunch of very jittery people debarked.' 4.30pm: Bockscar takes off again and heads for Tinian. The crew switches on Armed Forces Radio hoping to hear of a Japanese surrender, but are disappointed. 9.30pm (Japan time), 10.30pm Tinian time: Touchdown at Tinian, but there is no fanfare and photos for the arrival, unlike the scenes after the Hiroshima mission. However, Tibbets, from the Enola Gay crew, comes out to meet them. Sweeney asks: 'Now what about some beer?' Tibbets says: 'Chuck, I'm afraid I have some bad news. The beer ran out.' FRIDAY, AUGUST 10 2am (Japan time): Japanese Emperor Hirohito tells an emergency meeting of Japanese war leaders in Tokyo: 'I cannot bear to see my innocent people suffer any longer.' He says his 'sacred decision' is to surrender, on the condition that he is allowed to remain as head of state. The news is cabled to the US, which rejects the terms and demands unconditional surrender. WEDS, AUGUST 15 Noon (Japan time): Japanese radio broadcasts a pre-recorded speech by Emperor Hirohito, announcing unconditional surrender — the first broadcast by any Japanese emperor. In the UK, this will for ever be known as VJ — Victory over Japan — Day. SUNDAY, SEPT 2 9.04am (Japan time): World War Two formally ends when Japanese officials sign the surrender treaty aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Additional reporting: Eleanor Sprawson 9 US President Harry Truman approved the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 Credit: Getty
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Gardeners risk £400 fine for putting one item in their bins during August
Experts have warned that households may be contaminating their waste collections with soil - and have revealed that councils are already starting to ban it from green waste bins UK households are facing potential fines for placing one particular item in their garden bins as new regulations loom. Local councils and authorities are prohibiting soil from green waste containers in preparation for fresh legislation being rolled out by the Labour government next year. "It's one of the most common mistakes we see," declared a representative from My Home Improvements. "Soil might look natural, but it causes major issues for councils trying to turn garden waste into compost. Even a little bit can ruin a whole batch". "Garden bins are not a catch-all for anything green. What feels natural to toss may be harmful to the environment, your community, or the composting process," the spokesperson continued. It comes after an expert revealed how to kill lawn weeds overnight without using chemicals "If you're unsure, always double-check before you throw something away. The five minutes it takes to look it up could save you a £400 fine and a big headache down the line." Households across the UK risk contaminating their refuse collections with soil, experts are cautioning, reports Birmingham Live. This development follows announced changes set to come into force next year, mandating homes to utilise four separate containers. The fresh regulations are due to commence from March 2026. The document titled 'Simpler Recycling in England: policy update' states that most residences and businesses will require four receptacles, which could include bags, wheelie bins, or stackable containers. Alongside soil restrictions, the Government website features guidance entitled"Prevent Japanese knotweed from spreading". The guidance states: "You must dispose of Japanese knotweed waste off-site by transferring it to a disposal facility that's permitted, e.g. a landfill site that has the right environmental permit. "You must prevent Japanese knotweed on your land from spreading into the wild and causing a nuisance. You could be fined up to £5,000 or be sent to prison for up to 2 years if you allow contaminated soil or plant material from any waste you transfer to spread into the wild." This indicates that trimming knotweed or excavating it and transporting it to your local household waste centre without the proper environmental permit could result in penalties or imprisonment. "You must not dispose of Japanese knotweed with other surplus soil or sell soil contaminated with Japanese knotweed as topsoil," the guidance continues.
