EXCLUSIVE I bought a house and then something in the garden made my heart sink... and it WASNT Japanese knotweed

In the late nineties and early 2000s, bamboo was the hottest garden plant on the market.

Planted for privacy from nosey neighbours or to make mundane lawns look slightly more exotic - Brits across the country could not get enough. 

But a new generation of homeowners are reaping the consequences - as it turns out the plant is an invasive species that costs thousands to remove.

Bamboo grows rapidly and is extremely strong, giving it the ability to punch through walls and turn over entire patios.

Weve seen a 900 per cent increase in demand for bamboo-related work in the last three years, its going to be a huge problem, Emily Grant from Environent, an invasive plants management company said.

Ms Grant explained that there is a lack of awareness in the UK concerning the dangers of bamboo.

Instead, homeowners are preoccupied with another invasive species Japanese knotweed, with 73 per cent of people believing it is more harmful than bamboo.

In reality, bamboo can cause just as much if not more damage than Japanese knotweed, Ms Grant explained.

The perception of bamboo is still very positive among the general public and theres still relatively low awareness that bamboo can cause any problems.

To remove 350 square metres of bamboo (pictured) with a ten year maintenance it cost an eye-watering £11k

After organising a level three survey of a property a woman was shocked to discover 350 square metres of bamboo growing underneath the ground (pictured)

In the late nineties and early 2000s, bamboo was the hottest garden plant on the market, used to block out neighbours

So its still quite a new thing for surveyors to be flagging bamboo up on property surveys and because people dont have the knowledge lots of people are inheriting problems without realising it.

This happened to a woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, when buying a new home in rural England.

At first she didnt notice any issues with the gorgeous and vast garden. However, after organising a level three survey of the property was shocked to discover 350 square metres of bamboo growing underneath the ground.  

After probing the sellers she discovered the garden had previously been invaded with ten-metre-high bamboo. While they had a local contractor remove the plant, it is a complicated procedure that had not been done properly.

Instead, the bamboo had started to regrow and spread next door, a problem the new owner felt was intentionally being passed onto her.

So, before buying the property she decided to have a bamboo surveyor provide a quote for how much it would cost to remove all of the plant. 

With a ten year maintenance it ended up being an eye-watering £11k, that involved five days of work.

The woman told MailOnline: The owners knew [about the bamboo] but I think their plan was to sell it with the bamboo and not do anything about it.

In my job I deal with places that have Japanese knotweed so I know what to look for.

Bamboo is removed by excavating the root ball from the ground and getting rid of every plant stem

While bamboo isnt officially classified as an invasive species in the UK it spreads faster and further than the well-known Japanese knotweed

Bamboo is stronger than steel and can reach up to 28 thousand pounds per square inch of tensile strength

Although bamboo is not classified as an invasive species it does actually travel quite far and this stuff was about 25ft high.

They [bamboo specialists] took five working days to get rid of it, they dug it up and then sifted it through by hand.

While the woman managed to have this cost deducted from the price of the house, Ms Grant said many homeowners are looking to hide bamboo from prospective buyers.

We have people that phone us up and say I moved in yesterday and my neighbour has come knocking to introduce themselves and ask when were going to remove the bamboo, she said.

Bamboo is removed by excavating the root ball from the ground and getting rid of every plant stem, including those that have been severed to prevent new shoots from emerging.

And on average costs between three and six thousand pounds per residential property to remove.

Bamboo is becoming a growing issue because the lag period has just kicked in.

Ms Grant explained: After about seven to 10 years of being planted in the ground even less than that in some cases they spread rapidly via underground runners.

And those runners spread out in all directions from the plant because theyre quite shallow in the ground they end up causing significant damage to any overlying structures.

On average, bamboo costs between three and six thousand pounds per residential property to remove

Bamboo is becoming a growing issue because the lag period has just kicked in

So things like patios, driveways; and obviously they dont know where one property ends and another one begins so they have no problem going underneath the garden fence and starting to grow in the neighbours garden either.

And they can very quickly get out of hand which is why its so problematic that we plant them and then we dont look after them in the right way.

While bamboo isnt officially classified as an invasive species in the UK it spreads faster and further than the well-known Japanese knotweed.

The plant is stronger than steel and can reach up to 28 thousand pounds per square inch of tensile strength.

Ms Grant added: Not all bamboo is bad bamboo there are clumping varieties that can live in gardens but its important that people identify the type of bamboo they have.

And if they do have an invasive running variety that at bare-minimum they should contain it.

So next time you want to block out your neighbours why not try a higher fence instead.