Environmentalists horrified over spraying of herbicide along Cork riverbank

The OPW  confirmed that the treatment of the invasive Japanese knotweed is linked to the controversial proposed Blackpool flood relief scheme, which is the subject of a legal challenge

The spraying operation along a stretch of the river Bride, near Blackpool last week. Environmentalists reacted with horror to the sight of a contractor in PPE spraying so close to the watercourse. Photo: Save Our Bride Otters

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has confirmed that it contracted the spraying of herbicide along a riverbank in Cork to treat Japanese knotweed.

The spraying operation along a stretch of the river Bride, near Blackpool last week, sparked fears that the herbicide could leach into the watercourse - an important otter habitat. The OPW also confirmed that the treatment of the invasive Japanese knotweed along this stretch of river, behind the Orchard Court housing estate, is linked to the controversial proposed Blackpool flood relief scheme, which is the subject of a legal challenge.