21/04/2026
ITV: Controversial plans to reintroduce chemical weedkiller in Cornwall on hold after huge backlash
Plans to start using chemicals to tackle weeds on pavements in Cornwall have been put on hold following major backlash from residents.
More than 7,500 people have signed a petition against Cornwall Council's plans to reintroduce a controversial weedkiller.
The council stopped using chemicals to remove weeds from highways 13 years ago but then announced the targeted application of glyphosate was planned to re-start next month.
The issue was debated at a full meeting of the council on Tuesday 21 April. Dozens of protestors gathered outside New County Hall in Truro ahead of the meeting which received huge numbers of questions from the public.
Among those waiting to greet councillors arriving to discuss the weedkiller issue were beekeepers and medical professionals.
Leader of the Green Group on Cornwall Council, Councillor Drew Creek [who brought the motion calling for the Council to revisit its plan], said: “Glyphosate has been classed as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organisation, and there are studies that show it’s harmful to our pollinators and our bees.
"When it hits the marine environment, and it will, it can last up to a year and I don’t know about anybody else but I don’t want my children or my pets swimming around in that stuff.”
Full story at ITV: https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2026-04-21/controversial-plans-to-reintroduce-chemical-weedkiller-in-cornwall-paused
This is a huge win for the Greens at Cornwall Council, and it was greeted with cheers and applause from a packed public gallery. We need more Greens in the room, and on Thursday voters in Newquay Porth and Tretherass have a chance to elect another brilliant Green Cornwall Councillor: Abigail Hubbucks.
