A CWMBRAN man is battling a plant menace which is taking over parts of Gwent - with the help of lottery cash.

Alan Kohen of Coed Eva has netted £2,500 in lottery cash to launch a project, which aims to record all Japanese Knotweed outbreaks in the borough, increase public awareness and come up with a strategy alongside Torfaen County Borough Council to kill the pesky plants off.

The giant weed grows to a height of two-three metres in a matter of months and is capable of growing through building foundations.

The borough's planners who could be looking at hundreds of thousands of pounds to clear the troublesome invaders from development sites.

As 65-year-old technical consultant, Mr Kohen explained, he first became interested in the villainous vegetable matter during the 1970s. "I had an outbreak of it in my garden, and found the only way I could get rid of it in the end was to dig down two metres, remove the roots, and sieve all the soil - not an easy process."

A lifelong interest in plant life and a canny eye on the sneaky spread of Knotweed in the borough meant he was destined to take the message to council chiefs.

His chance came at last week's environment and local agenda 21 overview and scrutiny committee meeting at Torfaen Council, when he joined forces with Sean Hathaway, Swansea County Borough's Knotweed officer to warn planning chiefs of the need for urgent action.

Swansea has spent over £182,000 since 1992 trying to eradicate the ruthless reed and has seen major development sites and treasured open lands taken over.

"The problem is that once it becomes established, it takes years to treat chemically and costs thousands of pounds," explained Mr Kohen.

"That means costs to development plans and problems for those buying and selling houses," he added.

But he issued a warning to householders: "Whatever you do don't cut it down if you find it, and don't dump it, because it's illegal. Contact the council for help and information."

*PICTURED: Alan Kohen, centre with Tom Richards, left, of Keep Wales Tidy, and Jonathan Howells, countryside warden for Torfaen, at the Town Bridge, Pontypool.