Michael McEvoy bought a semi-detached home in Ramsgate with his wife 10 years ago and loved the garden’s bamboo boundary for privacy – but this summer the invasive plant exploded in growth
A homeowner is warning prospective buyers to thoroughly inspect gardens during property viewings after inheriting a costly nightmare that set him back thousands.
Michael McEvoy, 64, purchased a semi-detached property in Ramsgate alongside his wife a decade ago. The 64-year-old was particularly fond of the garden, which boasted a bamboo boundary that provided privacy from prying neighbours. But this summer’s scorching temperatures triggered an explosive growth spurt in the bamboo, leaving Michael completley surprised.
His neighbours soon reported that the plant – now branded “the next Japanese knotweed” – had invaded their garden and was bursting through their concrete pathway.
Michael McEvoy stood in his garden (Image: Environet)
The bamboo’s rampant spread had gone completely undetected behind the couple’s shed, but closer examination revealed shoots sprouting inside the structure where the floor met the wall.
Once the shed and its concrete foundation were torn down, workers uncovered a thick tangle of bamboo rhizomes underneath, which had also crept sideways into two adjoining gardens at the back and side.
Discussing the plant that hails from tropical Asia and was brought to Britain over a century ago for decorative purposes, Michael told the Daily Express: “It acted as a screen at the end of our garden. It hadn’t encroached very far.”
He added: “It had pretty much been the same way for the ten years but what was happening was it was high, it was tall, which we liked because people in the other garden across from us couldn’t see or look into our garden.
“That’s why I think it was planted in the first place. But in the hot summer, that quite humid period, we suddenly saw it grow quickly, it was almost like suddenly a bit of tropical weather, and it liked that.
“So climate change and colonisation. These plants have been brought from the far east. They are not meant to be here.”
This week, Michael, a music teacher, had specialists from Environet eliminate the plant, with the firm revealing that requests for its bamboo removal services have doubled over the past five years.
The bamboo was removed in recent days(Image: Environet)
Many homeowners only discover they have invasive bamboo after purchasing their property, and when questioned about the expense of dealing with it, Michael, who now has a five-year insurance policy in case it returns, explained: “To be honest, I would rather not say the actual cost. If anyone wants to get a quote for the work, they can see, but it was in the thousands.”
In a cautionary message to prospective buyers conducting house viewings, he encouraged them to stay alert for bamboo.
He explained: “I definitely think people should be aware that it could be problematic. We are lucky that it was nowhere near our house, it was at the very end of the garden, and it also was at the very end of the other people’s house. But if it was near the foundations of our actual building, it could have been serious.”
Michael noted that he was fortunate his neighbours were cooperative, and that the issue was resolved amicably. Unlike Japanese knotweed, homeowners aren’t legally obliged to disclose bamboo’s presence when selling their property, meaning there are no regulatory hurdles to navigate.
A YouGov poll from March, which questioned over 2,000 respondents, revealed that 54% were oblivious to the fact that bamboo – despite its aesthetic appeal and widespread availability at garden centres – can wreak havoc including structural damage to buildings.
Homeowners should therefore arrange independent inspections by qualified surveyors to check for running bamboo varieties, which can spread up to 10 metres or beyond.
Emily Grant, Director at invasive plant removal experts Environet, explained: “When people think of invasive plants it’s usually Japanese knotweed that springs to mind, but we deal with significantly more cases of bamboo and the damage to properties and gardens can be just as severe – if not greater.”
She added: “We often see it planted on boundaries for privacy, which means it can easily encroach and lead to neighbour disputes.”
Grant noted: “In the McEvoys’ case, the bamboo was planted before they moved in and took several years to become established and start spreading. By the time they realised there was an issue, the damage was already done – a situation we see frequently.
“A good surveyor should flag bamboo on a property survey if there are signs it could be spreading, but they aren’t obliged to do so. To be on the safe side, homebuyers should always check for bamboo themselves and determine whether it’s a running variety, as opposed to the less problematic clumping varieties.
“If they have any concerns, the best course of action is to commission a specialist survey to find out if it would cost to remove it and consider renegotiating the purchase price to reflect that.”
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