Giant Hogweed On The River Aire- How Dangerous Is It?

It might not look dangerous but people in Leeds are being warned to keep away from giant hogweed.

Jonny Hartwood is the environment manager for the city's Canal and River Trust.

He told Radio Aire that each plant contains around 50-thousand seeds - so it's hard to stop it spreading.

"We know we’ve got an enormous amount of individual plants along the Aire corridor so that’s through where the river Aire runs and where we’re standing by the Armouries museum.

"It's quite a spectacular plant and that's the trap. The basic rule is that if you don't know what you're looking at - don't touch it. If you come into contact with it, it’s one of our most dangerous plants and it can cause quite severe blistering."

The toxic plant made headlines this week for leaving kids and dog walkers with shocking injuries - because of the poisonous sap inside the stem.

It's warned that if it gets into your eyes it could cause blindness and that on the skin it can cause blisters 'similar to third degree burns' - so people should admire it from a distance.

If you see Giant Hogweed, you can report it to the Canal and River Trust.