An ecological expert has criticised Liverpool Council for its management of road verges that could potentially harm rare plants.
Josh Styles, who runs a plant conservation programme at Chester Zoo, has spoken of the “devastating” way he felt the local authority was using herbicide to treat verges around his home in Netherley. He told the ECHO that he had engaged the council in discussions to try and be more sympathetic towards biodiversity.
Josh said: “I moved to Netherley in August and as I went along the verges, I was pretty devastated that the plants had been sprayed with herbicide. It’s over a metre and it looks terrible.
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“It’s unnecessary and killing scarce species like bee orchids, these verges are important to declining species and they aren’t being treated in the right way. It’s not just by my house, it’s further afield.”
Mr Styles, who specialises in undertaking ecological surveys relating to infrastructure projects, said he had also expressed worries to Liverpool Council about managements of parks across the city, including Netherley Park, as it is home to rare insects and plants. He said: “Netherley Park is the only place in Merseyside that you can find the Roesel’s bush-cricket. I asked them a few months ago about treating the environment more sympathetically and treating areas in the best way for biodiversity.
“I’m meeting with the council next week to discuss the road verges and how the parks can be best managed for things like the Roesel’s bush-cricket, including cutting less frequently. There’s also plants like the Musk Stork’s-bill, there’s only 12 places in the whole North of England where it’s found and we’ve had it sprayed with herbicides.”
A social media campaign by Mr Styles was supported by BBC TV presenters Chris Packham and George McGavin. Responding to him on Twitter, Liverpool Council said a number of bee orchids had been relocated from the Festival Gardens site and “various alternatives” have been reviewed to establish what's best in terms of mowing grass verges, and “will continue to monitor sites where orchids are present.”
