A NEW policy to reduce the use of a chemical some claim causes cancer is being considered in Wirral.

So-called 'manual weeding' is promoted as an alternative to glyphosate weedkiller by campaigners and Labour councillor Liz Grey, Wirral Council’s cabinet member for the environment.

This involves volunteers using hoes and trowels to weed their local area.

Cllr Grey hopes the borough's many passionate activists and volunteers will take ownership of their street or immediate surroundings by weeding them, helping to promote pride in their local area.

If successful, this method will allow the borough to decrease its use of glyphosate.

There are widespread fears about the safety of the chemical.

Last year, a US jury found the chemical was a “substantial factor” in causing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organisation’s cancer agency, concluded that glyphosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

However, the US Environmental Protection Agency insists it is safe when used carefully.

EU countries did vote to renew glyphosate’s licence in 2017 but the tide is now turning, with Germany pledging to ban the chemical by 2023.

In Wirral, there are hoops to jump through before the idea of ‘manual weeding’ can be pursued.

Cllr Grey said the council was looking at how it could provide public liability insurance to volunteers, as they would need to be covered in case anyone got injured or damaged anything in the area they were weeding.

There is also the question of how much land could be covered by volunteers with hoes and trowels.

That will ultimately depend on how many get involved with the idea.

Cllr Grey added: “There are groups of people who feel strongly that we shouldn’t be using this chemical [glyphosate].

“But instead of just emailing the council they can get a hoe or a trowel and help out themselves.

“100 years ago we weeded areas without chemicals like glyphosate, it’s just labour intensive. This [manual weeding] will allow activists to be active.”

Cllr Grey added that Wirral Council has tried alternative weeding products to glyphosate but these trials proved unsuccessful.

The council voted to ‘phase out’ the use of glyphosate last July but the chemical’s use on Hoylake Beach caused uproar just weeks later, with national figures including Dragons Den TV star Deborah Meaden and environmental journalist George Monbiot tweeting their disgust.

The use of the chemical meant locals were told to not pick vegetation from the beach for more than three weeks.

Wirral Council’s vote was to ‘phase out’ the use of Glyphosate rather than to stop using it immediately, so the local authority is not contradicting its policy by using the spray where it feels it must.

But campaigners want to find practical ways of reducing the chemical’s usage in the borough.

Gillian Homeri, who is part of the environmental group The New Brighteners, said: “The council has been very helpful and is trying to find a win-win solution on this.

“They are looking for ways to help facilitate volunteers pulling up their own weeds, but you have to give people guidance, we don’t want people to put themselves in danger.”

A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “Wirral has pledged to reduce use of herbicides and chemical treatment of vegetation and to phase out the use of glyphosate where possible.

“To date, we are trialling the suspension of glyphosate in all parks and countryside areas (except for the treatment of invasive species), and we are working with our contractor to reduce the amount used on highways and footways.

“Despite our desire to reduce further by using alternative technologies, so far, none have been successful in providing an effective solution following trials.”

The council said it has many considerations to balance when deciding whether or not to use glyphosate.

The spokesperson added: “We will however continue to explore options to try and identify alternative methods of effective weed control as part of our pledge to reduce the use of glyphosate.

“We appreciate the concerns that some residents have with the use of glyphosate products and each year review our approach to managing the environment but in doing so try to balance the needs of all factors including pollinators and insects versus our responsibility to keep highways, footways and cycleways safe for our users and residents.”

Tony Cox, Hoylake ward councillor, said: "Currently, as you walk around Wirral you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the Amazon rainforest due to the immensity of the weeds that line every road.

"This beautiful peninsula is being allowed to go to wreck and ruin, and I have been inundated with complaints about this – quite rightly too.

"But is this due to neglect? No. This can more likely be attributed to the Labour councillor for the environment's 'efforts' to not use weed killer to kill the weeds, but to try foam instead. Yes, you read correctly, foam. 

"Unsurprisingly, this was an unmitigated disaster, and a complete failure.

"Whilst limiting the use of herbicide is welcome, no suitable alternative has been found to date.

"So, what is Cllr Grey's answer to this conundrum? You, the Council Tax payer, are to dig up the weeds by hand!

"Not only do you pay for this service, you will now be expected to carry it out too! Very generous of you Liz!

"This is, of course, completely unsustainable. Most normal people, go to work, look after the family, walk the dog, make the dinner, and then – if they have any energy left – try to have some fun time.

"I'm certain some people may buy into this, but certainly not enough to deal with the miles of roads across Wirral.

"Not on a regular enough basis to stay on top of the issue. This is exactly why we pay council tax. Why we pool resources to have someone else, in  a paid role, to do this.

"And, what happens to the people who are currently paid to do this task? Are they to be made redundant, no longer necessary as Liz Grey has contracted the work out to you, the taxpayer?

"Then there is the liability insurance that the taxpayer will have to fund for these volunteers.

"Or, the council will be setting itself up for a plethora of legal claims against it – again to be paid for by the tax payer.

"Enough with grand standing and making policy on the hoof.

"There is a need for a genuine solution here, and there is a process that needs to be followed, at the Town Hall."