Parents across Greater Manchester are being urged to warn their children about a highly toxic plant that can cause severe blistering burns.
Most prevalent at this time of year, Giant Hogweed – also known by its Latin name Heracleum Mantegazzianum – is a plant that originated in Southern Russia and Georgia, and was introduced to Britain and Europe in the 19th century.
The plant itself can reach over 10ft in height and, according to The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), “most gardeners will want to eradicate it, as it is potentially invasive and the sap can cause severe skin burns”.
The sap contains a chemical called furocoumarin which makes the skin sensitive to the sun, and can cause bad blistering – which can recur over the span of months, and even years.
How can I spot Giant Hogweed?
If you’re looking to identify this dangerous plant to better inform yourself and your children, then The Woodland Trust outlines the appearance of Giant Hogweed by these characteristics:
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Stems: The stems are green with purple blotches and stiff, white hairs and are hollow with ridges and a thick circle of hair at the base of each leaf stalk.
Leaves: The large leaves can measure up to 1.5m wide and 3m long, and are often divided into smaller leaflets. The Woodland Trust compares them to rhubarb leaves, with irregular and jagged edges, with the underside of the leaf being described as hairy.
Flowers: Giant Hogweed flowers appear in June and July, and are small and white and appear in clusters on “umbrella-like heads” that face upwards.
Seeds: The seeds are dry, flattened and an oval shape, almost 1cm long and tan in colour with brown lines.
Regular hogweed leaves are more rounded, whereas Giant Hogweed leaves are more jagged.
It’s important not to confuse Giant Hogweed with cow parsley too, as although they look similar, cow parsley can only grow about three-four feet, and also has smaller florets and broader leaves that are much more rounded than the jagged leaves of Giant Hogweed.
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Giant Hogweed flowers appear in June and July, and are small and white / Credit: Flickr
Sightings of Giant Hogweed have been spotted in Greater Manchester in recent weeks.
Community group Bolton NEWT say it’s recently found Giant Hogweed plants in Leverhulme Park, along the rivers Tonge and Croal, and at Moses Gate Country Park.
“We strongly suggest taking a few minutes with your kids to show them these pictures, so that they can safely identify giant hogweed and not panic when you find native hogweed or cow parsley.” a spokesperson for Bolton NEWT.
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Similarly, Mini First Aid in High Peak and Tameside has also taken to social media to issue a warning about the plant, saying: “Now is the season for ‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’ and with the lovely weather forecast in a couple of weeks time, this stuff will thrive and spread.”
The group added: “All parents, please warn your children not to touch the plant as the leaves, stems, roots, flowers and seeds all contain this terrible poisonous toxin.
“Any parts of the body that come into contact with the sap of a giant hogweed should be immediately washed with soap and cold water and seek medical advice. Further exposure to sunlight should be avoided for at least 48 hours.”
You can find more information about Giant Hogweed here.
Featured Image – Flickr
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Sunday Times Rich List – Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains richest man in North West despite losing £6bn
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has today been released, revealing that Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains the richest man in the North West, and third-richest in the country.
The annual list names the richest of the rich across the UK, and the combined wealth of the 350 individuals and families listed in 2024 amounts to more than the GDP of Poland at £795.361 billion.
As well as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who remains on the Sunday Times Rich List despite losing more than £6bn this year, other famous names include David and Victoria Beckham, Sir Elton John, and Lord Lloyd-Webber.
Representing the wealthiest in the North West are Michael Platt, The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family, and Home Bargains boss Tom Morris.
The billionaire Issa brothers who own Asda and founded EG Group complete the top five richest people regionally.
Local man Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who made his billions through chemical giant Ineos, has almost double the wealth of runner-up Michael Platt.
Harry Styles has made it onto the Sunday Times Rich List.
He recently ran the London Marathon at the age of 71 and secured a 25% stake of his childhood football club Manchester United.
The Duke of Westminster, who inherited his title and a huge land and property portfolio at the age of just 25, remains the richest person under 40 in the UK.
Now 33 years old and recently moved to Cheshire, his fortune now stands at £10.127 billion.
He’ll soon lose his title as the ‘UK’s most eligible bachelor’ though, with the Duke set to marry Olivia Henson at Chester Cathedral next month.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Sunday Times Rich List suggests Britain’s billionaire boom has come to an end. Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away.
“Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. We’ll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy.
“These may be harder times to create wealth, but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways. This year’s new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.
“We know many of our readers find such people — especially those from humbler backgrounds — very inspiring.”
The minimum entry to get onto the mega-rich list this year is a whopping £350m.
Teens could be recruited as train drivers to help ‘improve’ Britain’s railways amid ongoing strikes
Emily Sergeant
Teenagers could soon be recruited as train drivers in a bid to help “improve” Britain’s railways, the Government has announced.
Amid what have been ongoing strikes for the past couple of years now, and following on from the announcement back in February that ASLEF train drivers at several train companies and operators had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to continue taking industrial action for another six months, the Government has now proposed lowering the minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18.
A consultation on the somewhat-controversial move is to be launched as part of the Government’s efforts to open up more careers in the rail sector to young people.
Ultimately, transport ministers believe this could “improve the reliability of rail services” across the UK.
Teens could be recruited as train drivers to help ‘improve’ Britain’s railways amid ongoing strikes / Credit: National Rail
This surprising recruitment drive announcement comes after the Government has revealed that the train driver workforce is projected to shrink without opening up more opportunities for new recruits in the near future – especially given the fact the average age of a train driver in Britain is 48 years old, and many are set to retire within the next five years or so.
Under the new proposals set to go out to consultation, the Department for Transport (DfT) will create a new pathway for school leavers to take up apprenticeships and train to join the profession.
If agreed following the consultation, the new regulations to lower the minimum age for train drivers from 20 to 18 could be in place as early as this summer, according to the Government, which will apparently “help set thousands of young people on track to a career in transport” once they’ve bid farewell to their school days.
The Government says its proposal to lower the minimum age would “build resilience” across the railway.
The Government has launched a consultation of the lowering of the minimum train driver age / Credit: Northern
Not only is the proposal said to form part of wider Government plans to create more opportunities where young people can gain the skills they need to succeed, all while generating more jobs that lead to a “productive” and “high-skilled” economy, but transport ministers believe attracting more young train drivers would help the rail industry provide a “more reliable service” for customers when other staff are off sick or on annual leave.
By opening up the sector to young people, the Government claims this would be “a positive step” and one that directly benefits passengers.
“We want to open the door for young people considering transport as a career, and this proposal could give school-leavers a clear path into the sector,” commented Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, as the proposals were unveiled this week.
We're asking for views on lowering the minimum age requirement to become a train driver in Great Britain from 20 to 18.
This could open the door to thousands of new opportunities for young people in transport.
“By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating opportunities for more young people.”
If the proposals are introduced, the Government says all prospective train drivers, regardless of their age, will continue to be held to the same stringent training requirements as before to ensure the safe use of our railways for everyone.
To become a licensed train driver in the UK, trainees must pass mandatory medical, psychological, fitness, and general professional competence examinations.