Be Careful with Hemlock Water Dropwort

Please be careful and avoid contact with a plant which we have found growing next to the streams on the sides of The Ham.
Although Hemlock Water Dropwort is not poisonous to the touch, it is poisonous to humans and dogs if eaten.
Contact with the sap can also cause a rash and blistering.

Hemlock Water Dropwort is native to the UK and a common plant. It grows in damp conditions and benefits pollinators and wildlife.
It is easily confused with flat leaved parsley, water parsnip or water celery, and should not be foraged or consumed.

To alert the public we are putting up signs at places where the plant has been found.

South Ham District Council also has this problem on its sites and is currently seeking advice from specialists to help it decide what next steps need to be taken to manage the plant.
They will be sharing their advice with DPC.

Reporting Falls Jubilee Steps or Slippery Path & Monitoring the Path Experiment

Reporting Falls – Jubilee Steps or Slippery Path

If residents or visitors fall on the Jubilee Steps (next to the Church) or path from Lower Street to Dittisham Mill Creek, please try to ensure that the incident is reported to Devon County Council.

I think the best link on DCC’s reporting web page is ‘trip hazard’ https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/maintaining-roads/managing-the-network/trip-hazards/

There are links on the Parish website to take you to that page. There is a ‘Report It’ button on the home page – right hand side, below the main photo. That takes you to another ‘Report It’ button at the bottom of the page, and that takes you to the Devon County Council Highways reporting webpage. I’m suggesting ‘trip hazard’  is the closest fit.

It’s important to the Parish that DCC collects data about problems, if there are any.
Lack of evidence is a key reason behind DCC’s refusal to itself install or maintain railings on the Steps.

DCC is responsible for the maintenance of the Steps. SHDC is responsible for cleaning the Steps. Your Parish Lengthsman is also asked by DPC to clean the Steps.

Other problems on the Highway – potholes! – are also reported on DCC’s Highways reporting webpage.

Experiment cleaning path from Lower Street to Dittisham Mill Creek

We used grant funding from the County Council to have the path cleaned last Monday 4 December. The team did a great job and the surface was clear and not slippery.

This is an experiment. We don’t know how long the effect will last.

Please send us your feedback and photos.