The article about ragwort provided necessary information about the deadliness of the plant, but unfortunately made it sound as if the situation is in hand. In fact it is far from it.

I have been informed by Wychavon Highways Department that they have done everything they can with the meagre resources available to them and although I was told three weeks ago by the agency responsible for the Evesham bypass (A46) that the weeds would have been pulled up before they went to seed, it is still all clearly visible on the sides of the road. Any observant person travelling along the Worcestershire roads and outside the county can see what an enormous problem it is.

MAFF will only order landowners to kill the weed if there is danger of it spreading to arable fields, there is no such protection for grazing land ! We all need to do what we can to eliminate this hazardous plant before we find we have an even bigger problem in future years.

JA Harrison, Willow Cottage, Atch Lench, Evesham.