Himalayan Balsam – Just pull another one

Published: 01 June 2026

The banks of river Wharfe in the Tadcaster area are a popular environment enjoyed by a wide range of the community and proves popular with the young and old of the town and the surrounding villages. This green corridor is popular with walkers, anglers, dog-walkers and ornithologists being a place to see Red Kite, Buzzard, Otter, Kingfisher, Cormorant and a variety of species of fish.

On Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 May 2026 Environment Agency staff from Yorkshire Hydrometry & Telemetry and the Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme teams undertook two community days removing Himalayan Balsam, an invasive species, from about a mile of riverbank.

Himalayan Balsam smothers native plants and exposes riverbanks to erosion but can be removed by simple pulling or strimming before the plant sets seed from June onwards.

These two community outcome days were a real opportunity for Agency staff to help improve the health of the River Wharfe in the Tadcaster area, providing space for native plants and invertebrates.

This work is not an end but hopefully the beginning of an expanding programme of balsam removal on the Wharfe, to produce long term benefits to the health of the river environment.