SUSSEX'S Japanese knotweed hotspots have been revealed after areas saw rapid growth over the last five years.

New research by Horticulture Magazine has found that West Sussex is among the regions in the UK with the largest growth in live cases over the past half a decade.

The area had the third-fastest rate of increase reported across the UK, while East Sussex's rate fell outside the national top 10.

The research found nearly 30,000 confirmed cases of the invasive plant across the country, with a 72.2 per cent rise in West Sussex - more than double the national average of 27.9 per cent.

Horicultre reads: "There are areas of the UK where knotweed is known to be more prevalent due to its introduction on railway lines and through industrial activity.

"Analysis of the 29,536 confirmed cases in the UK show the regions with the largest growth in live cases over the last 5 years.

"Based on our analysis of NBN Atlas data, there are a further 19,702 unconfirmed cases of Japanese knotweed, with thousands more in the UK likely to remain unreported.

"There has been a sizeable drop in UK record-taking for Japanese Knotweed over the last 18 months, likely caused by the impacts of Covid-19.

"Records provide the opportunity for evidence-based decision making on invasive plant and wildlife species in the UK.

"Record taking is vitally important to the eco-system as it helps with conservation as well as the planning and management of invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed."

A YouGov survey by Horticulture found four in five people would walk away from buying a property affected by knotweed.

almost two-thirds of buyers would expect at least a 5 – 10 per cent discount on the expected sale price, the survey revealed.