Margate volunteers have come together to clear weeds from seafront pavements to halt county council plans to use glyphosate spray on affected areas.
Rise Up Clean Up Margate CIC (RUCU) along with Cllr Rob Yates and community gardeners Wilderness to Wonderland tackled the weeds last week, clearing the area by the Sands Café opposite the Clocktower to the Harbour Arm and taking in the Kings Steps.
People who attended reported they were volunteers at the Rise Up Clean Up Margate beach cleans, help out at Windmill Community Gardens or tend the flowerbeds around Margate with Wilderness to Wonderland. A few were retirees or people on their way to work who had heard about the event and wanted to help out.
RUCU co-director Sam Pisano said: “I care about the environment and wildlife and ideally would prefer to leave the weeds, many of which are wildflowers, as bees and other insects need them. “However, located where they are they do catch a lot of litter and so need to be removed safely. The majority of the people of Thanet don’t want toxic herbicides used for this – we want KCC to clean up their act and stop using harmful methods – and in the meantime we encourage people to do their bit by weeding kerbside pavements where they live so that spraying isn’t needed.”.
Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide (weedkiller) used to control weeds in towns and cities to tidy up pavements, kerbsides and verges.
Pesticide Action Network UK reports that studies have found that glyphosate-based herbicides can interfere with organs leading to chronic health issues and developmental effects in humans and animals.
Long term effects are said to include cancer, infertility, pregnancy problems, birth defects and respiratory diseases. The effect of glyphosate on the environment is a negative impact on birds and other animals, including pets, earthworms and particularly bees.
Glyphosate is also water soluble so has effects on aquatic animals and the soil – affecting the food chain.
In 2024 St Peter’s mum-of-two Kerry Sabin-Dawson launched a petition calling for Kent County Council to halt its use of glyphosate weedkiller.
In February of that year Thanet District Council phased out the use of glyphosate in favour of Hot Foam weed control.
Kerry said: “I was at Thanet council’s meeting when they voted to stop using glyphosate and I was overjoyed. Then I found out that KCC is going to do this spraying. I am absolutely appalled that they are going to do that when Thanet council no longer does.
“People in Thanet have already spoken out about this and were heard by our council but KCC is not listening to what people want.”
District and county Cllr Rob Yates said: “This community action proves that we don’t need weedkiller to be sprayed all along our coastline. A formal request has been acknowledged by Kent County Council not to spray in this location, and to find an alternative method going forward. We hope they respond before the weedkillers sprayers come here in August.”
Find more at www.riseupceanup.co.uk
KCC wrongly believe that using glyphosate will kill the weeds and then they hope that mechanical sweepers will remove those plants, but clearly this is not so.
All that happens is the dead weeds provide a seed bed for the next generation of weeds.
There is also the matter of residue. About 10 years ago there was a weed trial in Thanet. The results were never fully released, but it was widely believed that instead of the glyphosate breaking down after time with contact with the soil, it remained as a residue. The inventor of glyphosate Monsanto, hold that the compound breaks down after use.
The fact that in agricultural use there are restrictions on spraying near water courses says something about that theory.
I have seen very poor practice in how the pesticide is used. There is no entirely safe way to apply it, but using a mini tractor and driving with one hand on the wheel and another on the spray boom, is not one of them.
KCC persists in this practice because its cheap, even if it does not work.The current KCC administration with their lack of new thinking and their disdain of “green issues” will be unlikely to change this policy.
Interesting read.
As someone working in sports turf for over 30 years i have used it regularly to kill of an area thats been invested with poa.
Within two weeks of spraying the surface is scarified and reseed and the grass is back within a week or two of seeding. If glyphosate doesnt break down in the soil how is it possible to reseed and grow a fresh sports surface two after using glyphosate ?
Surely any remaining glyphosate would kill the seedlings off.
at last commonsense prevails and if i wasn’t disabled I would be there as I have been complaining about this area for a long time
If you live, work and operate a business then doing this is common sense.
It shouldn’t be left to the council even though they are obligated to do so.
This is good to see, we do the same in Broadstairs
As someone who grew up in the era of D.D.T. and Agent Orange it makes me smile when someone whose salary relies upon reporting what a “scientific” study undertaken by someone else whose salary is also reliant upon the politically correct “results and conclusions”, says that glyphosate might cause cancers and birth defects. The greatest cause of cancers and birth defects are individual genetics.
That’s not to say that the “scientific” studies undertaken by those who work for corporations are not potentially just as unreliable. The difference being that these corporation’s sell products that are licensed and are criminally liable for any adverse effects of these products… Unlike the “Green” charitable institutions. Which can pretty much make any generalisation that they wish in print, with little fear of any comeback.
It’s a good year for butterflies and starlings so far.
I have news for councillor Yates, the weeds will be back in August and the county council contractors will spray, because it’s too late to change their contract or are you suggesting the contractor should be paid for the amount of metre age cleared, without doing anything? Then again councillors of all parties are paid allowances for doing nothing!
That’s like putting lipstick on a pig.
Glyposate is here to stay; it’s an effective killer of many unwanted plants which, in themselves, serve to reduce “ugly” flora and fauna many other species come to depend on. Do I like it? Not especially. But short of the kinds of mechanical means adopted since time immemorial, there isn’t much else.
Perhaps Mr. Nokes would proffer his services in the blazing sun? I think not.
Otherwise we should embrace this free roaming greenery which should add some vegetation to our tree deprived district.
Being dubious is easy and glyphosate does kill, but to what purpose? As I said all killing does is create a seed bed.Flaming does work,but again removal is the best option but it takes time and money.
Having a punt at me no doubt because of support for the know nothings at KCC is ok, but I am qualified in pesticide advice, so maybe I know a little how pesticides work and their limitations.
As for volunteering in the sun, got the badge and the tee shirt. Does our moggy friend volunteer or is the usual bar room critic?
So i guess you are qualified BASIS.
Surely removing the weeds by hand also leaves a seed bed. I would say its leaves a better seed bed then sparying. Pulling the weed out will by its action release the surface tension and leave a nice disturbed surface for seeds to enter.
Love your response, some people, not all think they know everything about everything.
The place looks disgusting get rid of the weeds.Weeds are followed by litter then the graffiti moves in.
Grafitti omits more VOCs than any weedkiller.Litter also destroys wildlife.
Since when do antiweed killers speak for everyone in Thanet.
Yeah kill the weeds, the area looks Third World.Forget the insects wellbeing and worry about humanan wellbeing.
Im sick of living in a weed ridden,graffiti and litter hellhole.Thanet is the eyesore of the South East.Clean it up.
No to poison harming dogs wildlife and children can the council do something right just try to get those great road sweepers and council workers to bend and pull NOT spray.