A POISONOUS plant with toxins which can harm humans and kill animals is being cleared away.

Sevenoaks District Council is clearing public land of ragwort and is calling on other land owners to follow suit.

This summer, the RSPCA was forced to put down a number of horses in Fawkham which had eaten ragwort.

The tall, yellow flowering plant carries more than 100,000 seeds and is difficult to remove. The weeds should be pulled out over a number of seasons and cuttings burnt because the stumps remain dangerous to animals.

Spraying a herbicide is sometimes effective but it is too late for this year, according to Nicola Gregory, of the British Horse Society.

For more information, call the British Horse Society's Ragwort Campaign on 08701 202 244.