Residents protest against use of chemical weedkiller

RESIDENTS in Goring are protesting against the use of a chemical weedkiller.

The Goring Villagers Against Glyphosate group have been posting flyers through letterboxes against the use of glyphosate.

It reads: “Hey! Not this Way!” and outlines what residents can do to avoid its use, including weeding the pavements outside their homes and chalking the words “Not here”.

The initiative comes after the parish council approved a two-spray approach using a glyphosate-based weedkiller throughout the village in June.

The first has already taken place, with the second spraying expected to take place today (Friday).

The herbicide is banned by local councils, including Marlow and Reading, with Henley Town Council approving steps to reduce its use in April.

A petition launched by Abel Westerhod, who runs a market research company, received almost 300 signatures to reverse the decision.

He decided to do it after findings from a research paper, published in June, showed a correlation between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer also classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen in 2015.

Ten villagers from Goring Villagers Against Glyphosate attended the full parish council meeting to protest against the second spraying of the chemical.

But councillors approved by a majority, with one abstention, to continue using it.

Weed-It technology, a computer-controlled herbicide application system specifically designed for use on footpaths and hard surfaces, will be used by the contractor.

Sensor units and spray nozzles in the shrouded head detect the presence of weeds, which triggers the appropriate spray nozzles to apply an accurate amount of herbicide.

The chemical will be sprayed on all hard-path areas in Goring, including in the Arcade, off High Street, and on either side of non-hard surface tracks where there is growth.

Roads leading out of Goring are not included, as well as Fairfield Road, Elmhurst Road, Upper Red Cross Road, Lime Tree Road, Little Croft Road, Lyndhurst Road and the corner of Mill Road, which joins on to the Ridgeway.

Rosemary Westbrook, who lives on one of the private streets which is not being weeded, said she was “horrified” when she found out the council is using the chemical.

She spoke at the parish council meeting on behalf of residents against the use, outlining “serious adverse environmental impacts”. She said: “There has been mounting evidence about the environmental impacts and the impact on human health of glyphosate-based pesticides and a number of alternative options is available to local authorities.

“Most recently, research by the Ramazzini Institute, published this year, indicates that incremental exposure to the herbicide, even at the lowest levels, can cause cancer.

“We’re a village with lovely green areas around, with an important environment which could be impacted. They sprayed before and they gave no warning. Nobody seemed to know that the council had taken this decision.

“There are real dangers and it seems like an irresponsible decision, other than a cosmetic decision, even though there’s no weeds haemorrhaging the pavements.”

After the meeting, Patricia Williams gathered a team to distribute the protest flyers, which were funded by donations. She said: “We have many ways of communication in the village, but flyering is the only way to reach everyone easily.

“As far as I’m concerned, the latest research has shown it’s so toxic they couldn’t do the testing on humans. We have young people in the village and old people who walk their dogs.”

David Bermingham, 63, of Manor Road, a parish councillor who runs a biomethane plant in Ipsden, said residents are taking a “utopian view”. He said: “The petition says it’s a possible carcinogen and to not use it but as things stand, this is the treatment Oxfordshire County Council uses, and it has been around for years.

“We want to keep the place safe by stopping the weeds from getting established under the pavements and lifting them.

“We’re not chucking this stuff into the atmosphere because the technology is remarkably clever, so there’s no spray. The consequence is that if people don’t want this exposure, which there won’t be in my opinion, is that all they have to do is weed outside their property.

“It’s a utopian view and until someone comes up with a better way, spot treatment will remain on the menu, but we will get to the right place.”

John Boler, a resident and campaigner who worked in the chemical industry for more than 15 years, said the use of glyphosate should not be prohibited, considering it is in the same possible carcinogenic group as red meat, very hot beverages and anabolic steroids.

He said: “I have seen people struggling along with pushchairs when the weeds are growing up through the pavements. It breaks up stones and is costly.

“Because it’s made by a large chemical company, they don’t trust it and suspect it to be evil and think the wool is being pulled over their eyes.”