A TEAM of volunteers is fighting a foreign plant which is destroying the bankside environment of the River Weaver, Nantwich.
Himalayan balsam is taking over the riverbanks and pushing out native vegetation.
Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council riverside officers and the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers have launched a concerted attack on the plant in a bid to eradicate it.
Nantwich riverside officer, James Thompson said: 'Balsam bashing, as it is known, involves uprooting plants by hand and then the fun part of jumping up and down on heaps of tubular stems to compact the organic matter before disposal.
'The key to the exercise is making sure that this is all done before the notorious exploding seed pods have formed which is normally in July or August.
'We are now planning to form a riverside area-wide management team to drive out the species in an upstream to downstream direction next year.'
Mr Thompson added: 'Uprooting an attractive plant with pretty pink flowers can be a contentious issue and during these events we are often met with many questions and views.
'However, the fact remains that the presence of unmanaged Himalayan balsam significantly degrades the natural environment and reduces local biodiversity by over crowding and out competing native plant species.
'You only need to look under-neath a stand of balsam to see that nothing else will grow there. All you are left with is bare earth which leaves river banks much more prone to erosion.
'We would also like to thank to all those volunteers who are helping out with this and other elements of the Nantwich Riverside Project.
'Their help is essential in realising the potential of this wonderful green breathing place in the centre of Nantwich.'
