 Ragwort poses a threat to horses, sheep and cattle as they graze |
Teams of experts from the Highways Agency are patrolling miles of roadside verges across Yorkshire and Humberside in a bid to control a poisonous weed. Ragwort causes irreversible liver damage to horses and farm animals.
Each yellow-flowered plant can produce up to 150,000 seeds which can stay dormant in the soil for up to 20 years.
Highways Agency officers are pulling up the weed from the side of motorways and trunk roads in the region before it can spread on to fields.
David Craik, from the Highways Agency, said: "Ragwort is almost impossible to eradicate; at best it can be controlled.
"Herbicide can be used as a preventative measure but once it has flowered, each plant needs to be pulled out individually at the root then disposed of properly to stop any seeds from shedding."
One-Minute World News 
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