Over the last week we’ve undertaken a major media campaign highlighting the Top Ten Japanese knotweed hotspots in each region of England and Wales, using data mined from our heatmap, Exposed.

Wales is particularly badly affected, with four towns and cities appearing in the Top Ten, alongside locations with a strong industrial heritage such as St Helens in Merseyside and Blackburn and Preston in Lancashire.

Launched earlier this year, Exposed records Japanese knotweed sightings across the UK and has already been populated with thousands of sightings, which means you can enter your postcode to find out how many infestations there are near your home. Hotspots are clearly visible in yellow or red.

Following blanket regional press coverage on its launch, our hotspots story has again been covered by the leading regional newspapers in each area, including the Reading Chronicle, Somerset Live, Birmingham Mail, The Coventry Telegraph, MyLondon, The Yorkshire Evening Post and Wales Online.

Here are the top ten Japanese knotweed hotspots around the UK:

No.	Location	No. of infestations within 4km
1	Bolton, Lancashire	652
2	St Helens, Merseyside	464
3	Blackburn, Lancashire	439
4	Bristol	433
5	Capel Garmon, Conwy, Wales	395
6	Llanelli, Carmarthanshire, Wales	380
=7	Caerphilly, South Wales	326
=7	Swansea, South Wales	326
9	Rotherham, South Yorkshire	318
10	Preston, Lancashire	260

If you live in or around one of these hotspots, be extra vigilant for signs of knotweed in your or your neighbour’s garden. If you’re worried about a suspicious looking plant, we offer a free Japanese knotweed identification service. Just email a photo to [email protected]  and we’ll let you know if it’s knotweed or not!

If you’re thinking about buying a property in any of these locations, or indeed any area highlighted on the heat map, you may wish to consider instructing a specialist Japanese knotweed survey or purchasing a Japanese knotweed indemnity policy which covers you for the cost of treatment, repairs, legal fees and diminution of the property’s value, should knotweed arise.