HIGHWAYS bosses are vowing to get rid of a colourful roadside plant which hides a sinister side.
Common ragwort's bright yellow flowers can look pretty, but it can kill horses and livestock if eaten.
The Highways Agency in the Yorkshire region is working to reduce it on the roadside and prevent it spreading.
Young ragwort will be sprayed with a herbicide in spring and early summer, and later, contractors will return to remove the older, more mature plants by hand to prevent their seeds being dispersed.
The agency's environmental advisor, Richard Stephenson, said: "We take this perennial problem very seriously as common ragwort can pose a serious threat to equines and livestock, and there is no specific treatment once an animal shows symptoms of poisoning."
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