A veteran ragwort puller fears there is more of the toxic plant in Tywyn this year than ever before.

David Church wants to raise awareness of the harm it can cause, and believes he is seeing more of it growing in the town this year.

He said: “I have been pulling it out of our field and burning it periodically for perhaps 15 years, or more. There seems to be quite a bit of ragwort flowering in gardens, fields, and verges around Tywyn at the moment.

”Ragwort can cause very unpleasant, distressing, and even fatal symptoms in a number of kinds of farm animals; it can kill a horse, cow or a pig. My medical understanding is that humans are hardly ever affected.

“We use a hands-free weed-puller mostly because it grips the root just below the soil surface. And I try to get it with just a leaf rosette on the ground, before the flowers come.”

Gwynedd Council does not accept the plant as garden waste, so it cannot be put in the brown bin.

A spokesperson said: “To dispose of a small amount of ragwort on domestic property, we suggest sealing it in a double layer bag - double bagging it - and putting it with the household waste for collection.

“We do not accept poisonous species of plants such as ragwort as part of our garden waste collection service, so please do not put the ragwort plant in the brown garden waste bin.

“Landowners who wish to deal with ragwort beyond domestic gardens and on a larger scale should follow the relevant code of practice to ensure that the ragwort plant does not spread to agricultural and other types of land.”

You can find more information on the Welsh Government website: www.gov.wales/common­-ragwort-code-practice