New machinery will be deployed across the city as part of the council’s “war on weeds”.

Mechanical sweepers, weed rippers and specialist strimmers with weed-ripping brushes have been trialled in an effort to deal with overgrown weeds in Brighton and Hove.

The issue has plagued pavements and roads across the city after councillors voted to end the use of glyphosate in 2019.

The council said that the trial had resulted in “significant improvements” and that the new machinery will be used to accelerate weeding over the next few months.

Councillors from the Labour administration said that they “know that we must urgently get the situation back under control” and that their priority is to ensure streets, pavements and the environment is safe and accessible for residents and to limit damage to highway infrastructure.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, who chairs the council’s city environment, South Downs and the sea committee, said: “We know that dealing with weeds on our pavements is a top priority for residents and so we are looking at several additional tools to accelerate our weeding and ensure our pavements are accessible for our residents.

“I have been regularly meeting with our street team and I was pleased to be able to inspect the new machinery. The brush weeder was particularly impressive.

“Our new traffic light system and machinery have meant we’ve been able to tackle weeding more effectively this season, but there is still a lot of progress to be made. We look forward to reviewing and sharing future weeding plans with residents.”

Weeds became an issue after the council stopped using glyphosate weed killer – known commercially as Roundup – because of concerns that it could cause cancer.

The council has also established a traffic light system to identify areas where weeding and pavement maintenance will be prioritised while the trial of new weeding methods continues.

Streets and highways across Brighton and Hove are ranked into red, amber and green zones based on information provided by our highways and street cleansing teams, as well as feedback from residents.

Red votes are areas where access, trip hazards and damage to highways are more likely which the council’s team will tackle as a priority.

Residents are urged to report any large weeds that are causing a hazard using the council’s online form to have them removed.