A map shows all of the places “the most dangerous plant in Britain” can been found in Merseyside.
Giant hogweed, an invasive plant that was first introduced in the 19th century, can cause blistering and scars and even permanent blindness. The sap of the plant is phototoxic which means people can blister easily when exposed to the sun.
It was planted in gardens by rivers and ponds and continued to be used until the mid 20th century even as its dangers were more widely known. The plant then spread rapidly in the 1960s and it is now classed as the most invasive species in Europe according to the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI).
