A Welwyn Garden City Green Party candidate is calling for the county council to stop spraying pesticides in the borough, arguing that they are destroying the natural environment.
Early this year Welwyn Hatfield was awarded the 'Tree City of the Year' award by a United Nations programme of the same name, in recognition of its trees and green spaces.
Sarah Butcher, who is running for the Green Party in Haldens Ward, said: "Since 2019 the council has started to leave some verges to encourage wildflowers to grow and with it increase our biodiversity.
"During this last year green spaces in Welwyn Hatfield have given many of us a boost and provided solace when we needed it. Studies have suggested living in an urban area with green spaces has a long-lasting positive impact on people's mental wellbeing.
"Against all these positives it is incredibly disappointing that in February this year, big yellow and dying patches of grass and wildflowers appeared around all the street furniture on verges over the whole borough."
According to Sarah, these included lampposts, bollards, sign posts, road signs, manhole covers, road safety barriers and around the railings inclosing children's play areas.
She said: "This dying vegetation will eventually leave bare earth with nothing growing on it. The weed killer used by the borough on behalf of Herts County Council contains the active ingredient glyphosate.
"Glyphosate prevents the plants from making certain proteins that are needed for growth and it kills most plants so is often used by councils for 'noxious and invasive' weeds."
In 2015 the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified glyphosate as 'probably carcinogenic' to humans.
Sarah is calling for alternatives, such as the use of mechanical or thermal weed removal solutions - for example a hot foam solution which uses a combination of hot water, steam and natural foam to 'cook' weeds and kill them.
This method, which is approved by the Soil Association, can also be used to eliminate graffiti and remove chewing gum from pavements.
Some towns and councils around the UK are seeking alternatives to pesticides, by introducing either a ban, a trial ban or a trial of alternative non-chemical intervention.
Sarah added: "Alternatively, we could just learn to love weeds? Some of them are really beautiful and can be crucial for biodiversity in our cities. Sometimes the verge is the only place bugs, butterflies, bees and birds can find food and shelter.
"The 2019 State of Nature report makes for quite grim reading - we are losing species in England in particular at an alarming rate.
"Part of this is due to climate change but also we are losing habitat (97 per cent of wildflower meadows lost since WWII) mostly to intensive farming, but also to housing, new roads and rail. Our verges therefore are important and need preserving.
"So perhaps it is time for Herts County Council to reconsider the use of chemical weed killer on our streets, for our health and to preserve and nurture local biodiversity.
"Either learn to love the weeds or find an environmentally sound way to deal with them which doesn't harm anything else in the process. Including us."
A statement from the council said: "We are satisfied that our contractors Ringway use the herbicide only when necessary, and under strict controls when they do, with the utmost safety of their operatives and the public in mind.
"The use of glyphosate is compliant with the law, UK regulations, the national code of practice and aligns with industry-wide best practice.
"The herbicide is widely used within the industry by other local highway authorities and in agriculture and is the active agreement in weed treatment products available to the public. It is considered within the industry to be the most viable, effective and safe treatment of weeds currently available.
"We have considered options other than chemicals for weed control including hand-pulling, cutting and strimming, cold and hot water treatment and flame treatment, but these were discarded on the grounds of being less effective.
"We will continue to keep a watching brief on developments within the industry with regard to suitable and appropriate alternative treatments and will provide updates on our website."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here