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Surveyor photographing knotweed on a canal towpath in Wigan
Japanese Knotweed Removal · Wigan

Knotweed in your Wigan yard or garden? Get it confirmed, then get it gone.

Free ID from a photo, then a survey, a treatment programme or a dig-out, and paperwork a lender will take. Surveys from £275.

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Free photo ID check Survey from £275 Plans accepted by mortgage lenders
Canes cleared
Canes clearedDug out where a sale or build is waiting.
April shoots
April shootsRed spears in the yard are the first sign.
Borough-wide
Borough-wideFrom Standish to Platt Bridge.
Straight answers

A lot of what gets called knotweed is something else.

Snap a picture of the leaves and the stem and send it over. We will tell you what it is at no charge. Only if it really is knotweed do we talk about a visit, and you get the price in writing first.

The cost of waiting

Why knotweed gets dearer every season

Above ground it dies back each winter. Below ground the rhizome carries on growing.

Treat it this seasonSmaller stand, smaller bill.
£275
Wait and seeThe stand widens and the yard fills.
Bigger job
Buyer's valuer finds itMortgage offer on hold.
Weeks lost
DIY digSpread across the yard and next door.
£££££
Survey fee on the website. Treatment prices in writing after the visit. No doorstep quotes.
£275 · One visit, one price Written quote before any work

✓ What that buys

What the survey covers:

  • Confirmation on site that it is knotweed
  • The stand measured and photographed
  • Distances to the house, walls and drains
  • A report you can hand to a lender or solicitor
  • Priced options for treatment or removal

— What you never get

What you will not pay for:

  • A free photo check that says it is not knotweed
  • Travel anywhere in the borough
  • Surprise costs added after the visit
  • Being talked into a dig you do not need
  • Getting a copy of your own report

Reports are written with the RICS knotweed guidance for residential property in mind. Take it to any contractor you like.

Sites and portfolios

Knotweed on Wigan building land and rented houses

Brownfield plots and older rental stock across the borough are where knotweed costs money. We survey, write the method statement and carry out treatment or removal.

Knotweed on brownfield and building plotsSurveys and removal for Wigan development sites.Knotweed for landlordsSurveys and treatment across rented houses and blocks.
Dealing with it

Knotweed treatment, digging and barriers in Wigan

Spraying programmes where you have time, excavation where you do not, and membrane barriers where it is coming from next door. Waste is taken away with the right paperwork.

Knotweed spraying programmeHerbicide treatment across several growing seasons, with follow-up visits.Knotweed dig-outExcavation of the stand and rhizome when time is short.Knotweed barrier membraneA vertical membrane along a wall or fence to keep rhizome out.
Why people ring us

Call us if this sounds familiar

These are the things Wigan people ring about.

It is along the canal

It is along the canal

Gardens backing onto the Leeds and Liverpool Canal or the Douglas are the most exposed. A survey tells you how far in it has come.

Spears in the back yard

Spears in the back yard

Red, asparagus-like shoots pushing up between flags or along a wall in spring.

You are selling up

You are selling up

Your solicitor will send the TA6 form, and it asks about knotweed. Have a plan ready before a buyer asks.

Extension or garage

Extension or garage

Footings dug through knotweed spread it. Deal with it before the builders arrive.

Neighbour's side

Neighbour's side

It is growing over or under the wall from next door. You need a record of where it is.

Tarmac cracking up

Tarmac cracking up

Shoots lifting a path or drive usually mean rhizome underneath. Worth mapping before you resurface.

Also worth a call: canes along the canal, shoots in a back alley, a query on a TA6 form, a valuer's note on a survey.
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Japanese knotweed on a riverbank in Wigan
Knotweed in Wigan

Old industrial land, new houses next door.

Wigan's mining and mill past left the borough with canal banks, old railway lines, spoil heaps and flooded flashes, and much of it has been built on or next to since. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Douglas run straight through town. Terraced back yards, alleys and gardens beside that old industrial land are where Japanese knotweed most often gets a foothold.

The survey shows whether yours started on your side or came across the wall.

How it works

From photo to plan

Photo first.
1

Photo first.

Send a picture of a leaf and a stem. We tell you what it is, free.

Visit and measure.
2

Visit and measure.

If it is knotweed, we measure the stand and note what it is near.

Spray or dig.
3

Spray or dig.

A treatment programme over several seasons, or excavation if time is short.

Report and follow-up.
4

Report and follow-up.

A written plan for your records and your lender, with visits until it stops coming back.

Spot it

What knotweed looks like around Wigan

Red spring shoots against a yard wall.
Red spring shoots against a yard wall.
A stand on the riverbank below terraced houses.
A stand on the riverbank below terraced houses.
Shoots breaking through old tarmac.
Shoots breaking through old tarmac.
Spraying knotweed in a back yard.
Spraying knotweed in a back yard.
Digging out a stand in a terraced yard.
Digging out a stand in a terraced yard.
Membrane going in along a yard wall.
Membrane going in along a yard wall.

Not sure it is knotweed?

Use the contact page to send a picture, or give us a ring. We will say for free whether it is knotweed.

Send a photo
Wigan borough, from Standish to Platt Bridge

Wigan areas we cover

WN1

Wigan town centre

WN2

Ince-in-Makerfield· Hindley· Aspull· Platt Bridge

WN5

Pemberton· Orrell

WN6

Standish· Shevington· Appley Bridge

Wigan and its surrounding towns and villages across WN1–WN6. Most visits arranged within the week.

Before you ring

Questions we get asked

How do I know if it is Japanese knotweed?
Check the stem first: knotweed stems are hollow like bamboo, speckled purple, with a ring at each joint and a zig-zag shape. The leaves are broad with a straight edge at the base. In autumn you will see little white flower sprays, and in winter brown dead canes. A photo to us is the quickest way to be sure.
Is it illegal to have knotweed in my garden?
Having it is not a crime. Causing it to spread into the wild is, and cut material has to be disposed of as controlled waste. If it spreads to next door, the neighbour may have a claim against you.
Will knotweed stop me getting a mortgage?
Not normally, as long as there is a proper treatment plan in place. Lenders tend to ask for the survey, the plan and a guarantee that transfers to the buyer.
How long does treatment take?
Spraying usually runs for three to five seasons, then monitoring. Digging it out is done in days but costs more.
Can I just dig it out myself?
Best not. Tiny pieces of root regrow, and you are left with soil you cannot put in the green bin or a skip without the right paperwork.
Does knotweed damage houses?
It takes advantage of cracks and weak spots — flags, drains, walls and lightweight outbuildings. Sound house foundations are rarely the problem, but it still affects sales and valuations.
What if it is coming from my neighbour?
Get it surveyed so there is a record of where it is and which way it is spreading. That is what you need to raise it with them or their landlord.
Should I cut it back or strim it?
No — strimming spreads pieces around and can make spraying less effective. Leave it alone until it has been looked at.
What do I have to declare when I sell?
The TA6 form asks directly. If you have it, say so and include the management plan. A wrong answer can come back on you after the sale.
How much does knotweed removal cost?
For a typical yard or garden, a spraying programme is usually somewhere between £1,000 and £3,000 across several years. Digging out costs more because of the soil that has to go. You get a written price after the survey.
Do you cover all of Wigan?
Yes — Wigan and its surrounding towns and villages across WN1–WN6.

Leave the spade in the shed until it has been looked at.

Photo check free. Survey report you keep. Price agreed before work.

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