Latest news with #poisonousPlants
The Sun
29-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I own the ‘DEADLIEST field in UK' that's full of ‘poison' – it's absolutely everywhere & just a tiny amount will kill me
A FARMER believes he has bought the UK's 'deadliest' field having discovered it was riddled with a harmful plant which is so poisonous even a tiny amount can kill a human. The Facebook account Field to Farm took to their social media page to share a video of the field which was covered in Hemlock. 3 3 In summer, the poisonous plant produces clusters of white flowers which can be mistaken for wild carrot flowers. However, the plant can be identified by its distinctive and unpleasant aroma of its foliage and purple-spotted stems. The smell means that accidental poisonings are rare and most livestock keep well away from it. Even a small amount of Hemlock, if consumed can be enough to kill a human or animal. Hemlock usually grows in damp areas and can often be found in ditches, river beds and waste ground. The farmer took to his Facebook page to warn his followers about the danger the plant posed. He said: 'I have bought a field to live in and I've realised it is full of poison. 'Commonly mistaken for wild carrot, this is hemlock, and, just eating any single part of this plant is enough to kill me. 'And on this part of my land it is absolutely everywhere. 'The amount of this you have to eat to die is realistically quite small. Urgent warning over deadly plant worse than Japanese Knotweed... do you have it near you 'Four or five leaves, done. Game over. 'A couple of hours later, you're having seizures and you are dying.' He added: 'If you are going to mow this stuff down, you are mostly ok, but don't get the sap on your skin because it is going to blister your skin in a similar fashion to giant hogweed. 'You can maybe make out this one is absolutely covered in aphids and it is already going to seed. 'It provides a lot of flowers and sap and stuff for the invertebrates around the farm, but bit of a poison and if you get the sap on you, it is not the best, bit of an irritation, potentially blisters. 'So all in all, if you've got this stuff growing, be careful.' Hemlock and its cousin hemlock water-dropwort are members of the carrot family and are both toxic, posing a risk to anyone who tries to eat them. All parts of Hemlock are toxic and can harm people if they are touched, breathed or eaten. Anyone who comes into contact with the plant should be aware of the symptoms which include dizziness and trembling followed by a slowed heartbeat, dilation of the pupils, muscle paralysis, paralysis of the central nervous system and death caused by respiratory failure. Hemlock is so poisonous that dead canes are still toxic for up to three years. Anyone getting rid of the plant should wear gloves and take frequent breaks. A pensioner in Milton Keynes became irate after the plant was left to grow nearly eight feet high, last year. Jean Crussell claimed she was forced to keep her doors and windows shut and her dog kept inside. She said: 'They ignored our concerns for many months. 'The plant is known to be lethal and could have killed my dog and affected my health.' Jean, 79, who lives alone with her Labradoodle called Taxi, added: 'All the residents are naturally very worried as hemlock can be highly poisonous. 'There's pets and young kids living in the close of 20 homes. 'No one knows how the hemlock got here, it just self-seeded and grew, and grew and grew. 'In the spring it was already six feet high.' Jean, who has lived on the close for 10 years, said the plant initially started growing in the close made up of council homes two years ago after two new properties were added. The local authority eventually took action eight months later and got rid of the deadly plants. Jean said: 'Two new properties were built two years ago on a former grassy area. It's a nice little close. 'But the hemlock took over. It was just inches from my front door and lounge window and towering up to the roof. 'It shouldn't be residents' responsibility to clear it. 'These are council homes, many of us are retired and we pay rent and for communal maintenance which went up this year. 'I was so cross I called my local paper, the MK Citizen and they ran an article on Monday. The next day the council finally came around to remove it. 'They whipped it out quite quickly while I was out. 'They came suited and booted and masked on Tuesday and thankfully got rid of it.' 3
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Farmer buys 'deadliest field in the UK' after discovering poisonous plant which can be mistaken for household vegetable
A farmer has claimed to have purchased the deadliest field in the UK, after finding it filled with a harmful plant which can be mistaken for a common vegetable. Speaking on his Facebook page, the account Field to Farm shared a video of his field which was covered in Hemlock. The poisonous plant produces clusters of white flowers in summer, which makes it look strikingly similar to wild carrot flowers. Hemlock is often found in damp areas, such as ditches, river beds and waste ground. The plant can be distinguished by the distinctive and unpleasant smell of its foliage and its purple-spotted stems. Its smell means accidental poisonings are uncommon and even most livestock stay away from it. Just a tiny amount of hemlock, if consumed can be enough to kill a human or an animal. The farmer noticed the plants in a field which he had purchased and took to social media to warn his followers about the dangers. He said: 'I have bought a field to live in and I've realised it is full of poison. 'Commonly mistaken for wild carrot, this is hemlock, and, just eating any single part of this plant is enough to kill me. 'And on this part of my land it is absolutely everywhere. 'The amount of this you have to eat to die is realistically quite small. Four or five leaves, done. Game over. A couple of hours later, you're having seizures and you are dying. 'If you are going to mow this stuff down, you are mostly ok, but don't get the sap on your skin because it is going to blister your skin in a similar fashion to giant hogweed. 'You can maybe make out this one is absolutely covered in aphids and it is already going to seed. 'It provides a lot of flowers and sap and stuff for the invertebrates around the farm, but bit of a poison and if you get the sap on you, it is not the best, bit of an irritation, potentially blisters. 'So all in all, if you've got this stuff growing, be careful.' Both hemlock and its equally toxic cousin hemlock water-dropwort are members of the carrot family and so both cause a risk to anyone who attempts to eat them. All parts of Hemlock are acutely toxic and can harm people if they are eaten, breathed in or just touched. Symptoms include dilation of the pupils, dizziness, and trembling followed by slowing of the heartbeat, paralysis of the central nervous system, muscle paralysis, and death due to respiratory failure. They are so poisonous that dead canes remain toxic for up to three years, and people removing the plant have to wear gloves and take frequent breaks. Its' poisonous notoriety can be traced back through history - it was the plant that was given to the famous Greek philosopher Socrates at his execution. Last year, two pensioners in Milton Keynes were furious after the plant was left to grow nearly eight feet. Jean Crussell said she was forced to keep windows and doors closed and her dog shut inside. She added: 'They ignored our concerns for many months. The plant is known to be lethal and could have killed my dog and affected my health.' The tenant, 79, who lives alone with her Labradoodle called Taxi, explained: 'All the residents are naturally very worried as hemlock can be highly poisonous. There's pets and young kids living in the close of 20 homes. 'No one knows how the hemlock got here, it just self seeded and grew, and grew and grew! 'In the spring it was already six feet high.' Ms Crussell, who has lived on the close for 10 years, said the plant first started growing in the close of council homes two years ago after two new houses were added to the road. The authority was finally spurred into action eight months later and removed the deadly plants. Ms Crussell added: 'Two new properties were built two years ago on a former grassy area. It's a nice little close. 'But the hemlock took over! It was just inches from my front door and lounge window and towering up to the roof. 'It shouldn't be residents' responsibility to clear it. These are council homes, many of us are retired and we pay rent and for communal maintenance which went up this year. 'I was so cross I called my local paper, the MK Citizen and they ran an article on Monday. The next day the council finally came around to remove it. 'They whipped it out quite quickly while I was out. They came suited and booted and masked on Tuesday and thankfully got rid of it.
Telegraph
13-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Foragers rescued from island over fears they had eaten poisonous plant
A pair of foragers had to be rescued by lifeboats from an island as they thought they had eaten poisonous hemlock. Lifeboats were called after the 'experienced' foragers feared they had ingested the toxic plant. They were found in the eastern beach of Sully Island, off South Wales, 'showing signs of anxiety'. The pair were taken by boat to the mainland where coastguards found they had high pulse rates and were treated with oxygen. They were taken to hospital for checks and later given the all clear. Bill Kitchen, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Barry Dock RNLI, said: 'We've since been in touch and are very relieved to hear that both have made a full recovery. 'They absolutely made the right call in seeking help – in situations like this it's crucial that medical attention is sought without delay. We're very glad this had a positive outcome.' 'Notoriously poisonous plant' The Wildlife Trust describes hemlock as 'a notoriously poisonous plant' which has 'umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer'. The plant contains toxins that attack a person's nervous system and can be fatal. According to the trust it 'can be found in damp places, such as ditches, riverbanks and waste ground.' Sully Island is an uninhabited small island that can be accessed by foot at low tide from the village of Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is 400 metres off the mainland and each year a number of visitors are rescued by lifeboats having misread the tide and become stranded.
Sky News
13-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Sully Island: Foragers rescued from Welsh island after eating suspected poisonous plant
Two people had to be rescued from a Welsh island after eating a suspected poisonous plant. The pair were "showing signs of anxiety" after consuming what is believed to be hemlock, the RNLI said. A crew was sent from Barry Dock to Sully Island, off the coast of Swanbridge in South Wales. Hemlock is a poisonous plant with umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in the summer. The plant, which produces a repellent smell when its leaves are crushed, can be fatal even in small amounts. The experienced foragers were found on the eastern beach on Saturday 3 May and were immediately taken for treatment back on the mainland. They were given oxygen by the Barry Coastguard Rescue Team, who identified elevated pulse rates. Bill Kitchen, lifeboat operations manager at Barry Dock RNLI said in a statement it had been "in touch" with the pair and were "relieved to hear that both have made a full recovery". "They absolutely made the right call in seeking help - in situations like this, it's crucial that medical attention is sought without delay. We're very glad this had a positive outcome," he added.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sully Island: Forages rescued after potentially eating hemlock
A pair of experienced foragers had to be rescued from an island after potentially eating poisonous hemlock, coastguards have Dock RNLI sent a lifeboat crew to Sully Island, off the Vale of Glamorgan coast, where the foragers were found in an anxious state. They were moved from the island's eastern beach to the mainland where Barry Coastguard Rescue Team found they had high pulse rates and put them on oxygen. Hemlock with its umbrella-like clusters of white flowers looks and smells like parsley and has toxins that can cause death by attacking a person's nervous system. The foragers were rushed to A&E and the coastguard was stood down. "We've since been in touch and are very relieved to hear that both have made a full recovery," said Barry Dock lifeboat operations manager Bill Kitchen. "They absolutely made the right call in seeking help – in situations like this, it's crucial that medical attention is sought without delay. "We're very glad this had a positive outcome."
