Thousands sign petition urging council to stop spraying 'harmful' pesticides around Milton Keynes

The campaigners, who are due to present the petition to councillor tomorrow (Tuesday), say the substances are harmful to human health as well as wildlife.

It has been signed by a whopping 25,388 people and can be viewed online here.

Already more than 80 health and nature organisations, including the Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, Breast Cancer UK, Parkinson’s UK, Butterfly Conservation, have come together in a Pesticide Collaboration, and are calling for a ban on the use of pesticides in urban areas.

As a result, 100 councils have already stopped or are phasing out the use of pesticides on their green spaces.

But Milton Keynes still uses the sustances - including glyphosate , which is considered to be the most dangerous.

MK campaigner Judith Heinemann said: “Nature is in crisis. The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Despite the growing evidence of the harm pesticides cause to wildlife and human health, in March this year MK residents witnessed for the first time the new MKCC landscape contractor Glendale’s mini tractors spraying in our residential streets.

"Often during the summer we have witnessed Parks Trust contractors spraying in our valley parks. Driving along our grid roads, we have seen extensive spraying on our verges.

"Our school grounds have also been regularly sprayed - the Loughton school landscape contractor informed me that he sprays in 61 schools including 13 special schools.”

Judith was walking in Shenley Lodge last month when a mini tractor was spraying the verges and she and her fellow walkers were caught in the residual spray,.

“It led to dry mouths, constricted throats and a taste of chemicals in our mouths.”

The petition is addressed to Milton Keynes City Council, the Parks Trust, locals school contractors and other land managers throughout the city. It is asking that MK be totally pesticide free.

It states: “There is simply no need to spray poisons in our streets, verges, parks and schools where they risk harming our residents, their dogs and children in particular, bees, butterflies and other wildlife, and running off into our waterways.

“Safe and sustainable alternatives for weed control are available, where necessary.

"The most commonly used pesticide, Roundup, is harmful to bees and butterflies, damages soil health, and is strongly suspected of causing non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and neurological disorders, e.g. Parkinson’s disease, in humans.

“It is also associated to developmental and endocrine issues, and particularly affects children and the elderly. Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides because they absorb pesticides more easily and they are less able to deal with the toxins.”

Earlier this year the council pledged a review into its use of pesticides and said its first step would be to liaise with parish councils and the Parks Trust, which manages 6000 acres of the green space in Milton Keynes, to harmonise action city wide

The Parks Trust says it has already made “positive progress “in its efforts to reduce its glyphosate use by by over one-third in recent years.