Jane was ready to make her dream move.

She and her husband were preparing to buy their first ever home in Leyton.

They had found their ideal house, it needed a bit of work, but Jane and her husband were excited for the project.

However, at the last minute a neighbour informed them the property had a Japanese Knotweed infestation.

Japanese knotweed, native to east Asia, was brought to the country in 1850 and was favoured by gardeners because it looked like bamboo and grew anywhere.

Today, it is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to plant Japanese Knotweed due to the damage it can cause to property and its impact on biodiversity.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Jane Johnson,was determined not to let the infestation ruin her dream move

It is also classed as "controlled waste" in Britain under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and requires disposal at licensed landfill sites.

Some homeowners are unable to sell their homes if there is evidence of knotweed on the property and mortgage lenders will often require prospective buyers to organise professional removal of infestations before offering a mortgage.

It cost the UK government £70 million to eradicate knotweed from 10 acres of the London 2012 Olympic Games velodrome and aquatic centre.

Jane Johnson was worried the discovery of the infestation would scupper her plans to buy her new home.

But Jane loved the property and was not to be deterred from buying it.

She enlisted the help of Environet to professionally treat the knotweed, a requirement from her mortgage lender.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Japanese knotweed has hollow stems with distinct raised nodes that give it the appearance of bamboo, though it is not related

“It was a bit of a shock because we couldn’t get a mortgage unless we got a company involved that meets the criteria of mortgage companies”, Jane said.

“We are buying the house to refurbish it, our plans for it are amazing – we weren’t going to let the knotweed stop us.”

At the end of last month Environet professionals visited the property to remove the infestation.

Jane is now confident that the property is knotweed-free.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Jane enlisted the help of Environet to remove the infestation

“It’s just a plant and you can get rid of the plant, it’s just that it’s a really hardy plant”, she added.

“If you don’t know you have got it and you don’t remove it and then you build on it can grow through things, it’s really an amazing plant.”

Environet has launched a Japanese knotweed heatmap, which allows users to enter their postcode to see how many knotweed infestations are recorded within a 4km radius.

There are currently 141 infestations within a 4km radius of Leyton High Street.