Campaigners call for Camden Council to ditch controversial weedkiller

Camden Green Party are hoping to convince the council to stop using controversial weedkiller that is currently subject to high-profile lawsuits in the US.

Anti-pesticide groups claim that glyphosate-based weedkillers have links to cancer.

Kirsten de Keyser, the Green Party member who is spearheading the campaign, told the Ham&High: “In the end we don’t know whether these weedkillers are dangerous, but there’s enough doubt there - there’s these class action cases in America - that surely it’s not worth the risk when there are alternatives.

“These chemical weedkillers are banned in the Netherlands, next year they’ll be bannned in France. Even other London boroughs have stopped using them, like Hammersmith and Fulham.

“It’s not even strictly a Green Party issue, it was in the local Conservative manifesto before May’s elections!”

If the petition gets 600 signatures from Camden residents, it will be debated by Camden Council. So far, the petition has 640 names, with around half of that number thought to be from people living in the borough.

A spokesman for Camden Council said: “Camden Council currently makes minimal and targeted use of glyphosate, but will continue to review its policy and reconsider its approach in the light of any future changes to the EU Directive and/or Government guidance.”