Council Seeks Volunteers To Help Reduce Weeds In Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Council is looking for volunteers to help reduce weeds across the city.  

With spring around the corner, the beaches are getting busier with residents and tourists, the parks are getting colourful with budding trees and blooming flowers and, unfortunately, weeds are starting to fill the streets.

They're asking volunteers to join them at their ‘Weed Warrior’ launch event on Friday, March 17.

The council is launching its Weed Warrior scheme to help tackle unruly weeds and overgrown vegetation across the city.

The Cityclean team carry out weeding throughout spring and summer, but the labour-intensive nature of manual weeding means that some areas can become overgrown. 

Volunteers will work together to remove weeds in problem areas by carrying out weed management and vegetation control tasks.

These areas have been identified by Cityclean staff, who are always actively working to reduce weeds on our streets.

­The scheme aims to make streets, twittens and other public spaces across Brighton & Hove more attractive for visitors and residents.

Weeds on public highways, streets and other rights of way cause access issues and damage street surfaces. 

In 2019 the council stopped using glyphosate, a harmful herbicide, to remove weeds. It was made clear at the time that this would result in more visible weeds. 

To help combat this, they've invested in a small vehicle to remove pavement weeds, recruited additional staff for the street cleansing team and employed contractors to assist where necessary.

For residents interested in helping out, the launch weed warrior event is being held at Ladies Mile Road and starts at 10.30am. 

They’ll also be running regular weed warrior events in particularly weedy areas over the spring and summer months. 

If residents can’t attend an event but still want to get involved, there will be opportunities to volunteer to become a weed warrior in their local area.

Volunteers will be supplied with tools and trained how to weed safely at an induction session.

More details about the events and volunteering as a Weed Warrior on our website at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/weed-warriors.

Councillor Elaine Hills, Co-chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, said:

“We know how important avoiding pesticides for weed removal is to our residents, which is why our streets have been glyphosate free since 2019. 

“We’ve had difficulty recruiting for street cleansing positions in recent years and Cityclean are doing all they can to remove weeds. 

“The Weed Warrior scheme will help us keep up with the demand of manual weeding through the spring and summer months. 

“As well as Weed Warrior community events, volunteers can also join in by becoming a Weed Warrior in their local area. 

“We hope the scheme provides an opportunity for residents to gain new skills, be more active, get out and about in the city and find new places to explore. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet new people who are all as passionate as you about looking after our beautiful city.”