A poisonous plant on an overgrown path near an elementary school has raised concerns about child safety.
The headmaster at Bucklesham Primary School in Suffolk said pupils had to walk on the road to avoid the hemlock, which could be fatal if swallowed.
A village councilor warned: “Children’s lives are at stake” and called for the urgent removal of the facility.
Suffolk Borough Council said Monday was the earliest time to open the way as a road closure was required.
The problem was first reported to the authority on June 19 and Bucklesham Local Council leader David Brinkley was concerned about the wait.
He said: “Don’t put children’s lives at risk. And if it’s not good enough for your workers to work on the trail, it’s certainly not good enough for children to walk on the street.”
Headmistress Rachael Rudge was also concerned about the safety of her students.
“Walking on the roads because the path is not safe due to the hemlock and overgrown vegetation puts them in a really difficult and unsafe position,” she said.
Mother Kathy Parrat felt it was too dangerous to walk her two boys and baby down the trail and had switched to the car instead.
She said: “There has to be a long-term solution because this happens every year, but the hemlock is much worse this year.”
A spokeswoman for Suffolk County Council said: “The cut order was lifted on 23 June but due to the road closure required, the earliest opportunity for this work to be carried out was Monday 10 July.”
“Suffolk Highways does not carry out routine weed control on an identified hemlock as it is not listed as an invasive non-native weed under the Weeds Act 1959.”
- Makes umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in June and July.
- Can be found in damp places like ditches, riverbanks, and wasteland.
- Grows up to 2 m (6.5 ft) tall.
- Its purple-spotted stems have a distinctive and unpleasant mouse-like odor
- Mainly found in England and Wales, more rarely in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- The toxins in hemlock are alkaloids that can cause muscle paralysis.
- Just a tiny amount of hemlock can be lethal to a human or livestock.
Source: Suffolk Wildlife Trust
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