A Burnham dog walker is urging the council to clear a nuisance plant for fear it could endanger pets and children.

Retired Dennis Price, 59, of Hornet Way, Burnham, is concerned about the huge mass of floating pennywort that appears to be flourishing on the water in the town’s Riverside Park.

Mr Price initially contacted the Environment Agency about his concerns and was re-directed to Maldon District Council.

A district council spokesman said: “The floating pennywort got into some of the watercourses at Riverside Park many years ago - we think by someone releasing it from a garden pond.

“The council periodically removes as much as it can but unless every last fragment is removed it quickly grows back."

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