A BEEKEEPER is appealing to balsam pullers to clean up after themselves and stop dumping the plants in the road.

Himalayan Balsam is an alien plant, brought to the UK in the 1839 by travellers who were enchanted by its orchid like beauty.

Little did they know, within a few decades the aggressive plant would colonise areas throughout Britain, destroying river banks and smothering any indigenous plant life that got in its way.

Robert Fulton, 88, understands better than most the need to control the plant, but has taken exception to the method local balsam bashers have adopted.

He said: "It's either kids doing it or adults acting like kids

"They are pulling it up at the side of Pole Lane and dumping it on the road.

"It's a right mess, the street is covered in it

"It goes all over you shoes then you end up trampling it into your house

"It's worse than dog mess.

The Darwen based beekeeper has a love hate relationship with Balsam due to its popularity with bees, who prefer to pollinate it due to its plentiful nectar rather than native plants.

He said: "I don't hate it, because it helps the bees but there are other plants that do the same job that the balsam is killing off.

"I'm not bothered about people pulling it out, it's the mess it makes

So far, only Scotland has been spared from the invasion, but experts say it's only a matter of time before it succumbs to the plant's relentless creeping coverage.

Communications and press officer Alan Wright from Lancashire Wildlife trust said:

"It's amazing how quickly it's taken over the country.

"It's a beautiful flower and it would be brilliant if we could control it.

"We do want people to understand it needs to be controlled and encourage people to get involved.

"However, pulling it up and dumping it isn't ideal because if you drop it on the floor or the grass it will just sprout again.

"We recommend getting involved with one of our Balsam Bashing events rather than going it alone.

"Volunteers get together to tackle large areas covered by the plant as a group

"Pullers get the satisfaction of eradicating a large area of balsam and we dispose of it properly to prevent the mess.

To find out more visit www.lancswt.org.uk/