Consideration

Zarko

Hi 

Here we are sitting and relaxing on site when all of a sudden you here wheels trundling along the road and to your surprise you see a warden pulling a cart what on earth is going on and then it starts he is spraying the weeds What I think you here so much about the environment there’s days and still the motorhome and caravan club thinks this is OK what’s wrong with a good old hoe or is that to much work As well as that the smell is outrageous when you are having your lunch Also we have dogs which you allow on your sites that can’t be good for then either We have been to many sites and most of sites still use chemicals to kill weeds I will not name the sites it’s upto the caravan and motorhome club to STOP the use of these products herbicides or pesticides. 
 From a very concerned camper 

Moderator Comment - Moved from the Story Section to discussions

Hja

This is pretty appalling. I hope the member of staff had protective clothing including a face mask. But it is impossible to spray without some wafting elsewhere, and it is poisonous. I hope you have contacted the club because they do not respond to comments on here.

Tinwheeler

It could be useful to know whether the spray was toxic to humans or animals. My guess is that it was not as only licensed people have access to the toxic (and most effective) weed killers these days. Others tend to be harmless once dry.

Three cheers for CAMC using a hand cart rather than a motorised vehicle. I think expecting a warden to weed a whole site with a hoe is asking a bit much!

Cornersteady

Using a weed killer chemical or spray has been used on club sites, especially in hardstandings, for as long as I can remember. I am pretty sure than a H&S assessment will have been done as well. Using a hoe will takes ages on any sort of site and be noisier too. 

Wherenext

I think I would have nipped the weed in the bud, so to speak, and asked the warden a direct question about the content of the spray. If it was harmless then no problem, if it contained harmful chemicals then no it wasn't fine to spray that area within close proximity to the caravaners. All could have been resolved by just asking there and then.

Reminds me of 2 years ago when we were on site in the Netherlands on a sunny afternoon, sitting outside with washing drying when a vehicle with large spray attachments drove slowly past the site. We were next but one to hedge separating us from the road. OH grabbed the washing and we rushed inside, coming out when he had passed. The Dutch neighbour was so incensed he got his bike out and chased the sprayer, returning 10 minutes later to say the spray was completely harmless to humans but lethal to the bugs in the trees that were killing the trees. The sprayer apparently had all the info with him, details of spray, licence from council etc. We had to believe him so this incident on a club site could indeed be innocuous.

DavidKlyne

Unless the OP is willing to pay more to stay on a Club site I would suggest that using weed killer is a much more efficient than expecting site staff to spend hours weeding individual pitches. OK there is a time and place but I assume the site staff were not applying the chemicals to his pitch? Personally a few weeds on a hardstanding pitch never bothered me but reading some reviews it does seem to be a problem for some members. 

David

eribaMotters

Zarko,

my problem is I'm to trusting. If I saw a warden spraying weeds I'd assume that the herbicides or pesticides used were being applied in accordance with HSE guidelines. If they posed any danger then a warning sign would have been put up so you can keep your dog/s on a lead, which I would hope you do anyway. 

When you use the public facilities do you enquire what cleaning products are being used. Do you check if goods bought from a fridge have a log of the storage temperatures displayed. Are the paints used onsite low in VOC's. Are you going to monitor the emissions and noise levels from the mowers. Does your neighbours BBQ annoy you. Will you complain that your neighbour has a diesel car emitting particulates?

Just enjoy your stay and assume you are being looked after, and I'd hope your dog /s do not bark.

 

Colin

trellis

Zarko,

You could always give the weeds a good watering of Growmore , that way when you return in a couple of weeks to do the hoeing they will be easier to spot.😄.

 

Wildwood

I think there is little alternative to spraying if you want hard standings. The time taken to weed by any other method would be just too great to be workable.

peedee

I once saw a site manageress weeding hardstanding pitches and asked why she wasn't using a weed killer. The reply I got was it still left unsightly dead weed tops. I agree, I get the same problem when spraying my driveway, its much better to pull the weeds up if you can, but to do it for "n" pitches surely cannot be practical.

peedee

mickysf

I guess the only answer is to use all methods available, mechanical and herbicidal to keep on top of the issues. Some weeds will be easy to pull out, some perniciously resilient and others just dormant waiting their chance to pop up. I’m sure all the H&S, risk assessments and the like have been applied and the chemicals used are suitable for the context, like that used in children’s play parks. Keeping on top of them must be an ongoing headache.