A LOCAL authority has been asked to review its use of a weedkiller which has been linked to cancer following a landmark US court case.

On Saturday chemical giant Monsanto was told to pay £226m damages to a groundskeeper after a jury found that herbicides containing glyphosate, including the product Roundup, contributed 'substantially' to his terminal cancer.

Wrexham Council uses Roundup to tackle weeds in the county, but in February agreed to reduce the amount it sprays in some areas such as playgrounds after admitting to overusing it during the summer of 2017.

However, it has not banned the use of the herbicide outright.

Plaid Cymru councillor Carrie Harper has now urged for that position to be revisited after a Californian jury found that Monsanto knew the Roundup and RangerPro weedkillers were dangerous and failed to warn consumers.

Cllr Harper said: "This latest case in the US is the first but it could easily open the floodgates for more and it's only right that the council has a review at this point in time.

"The reason it came up in Wrexham was because in Caia Park there was excessive spraying.

"It does worry you.

"I think this court case is a game changer and it's time to review the council policy in terms of its use."

In the wake of Saturday's court case, Homebase is considering whether to pull certain weedkillers off their shelves, while B&Q said their review of garden products is already something which is in progress 'as part of a very considered wide review'.

A B&Q spokesperson said: "B&Q has been reviewing its garden care and maintenance range since 2017 and this review is ongoing."

It comes after the French government promised in May that glyphosate would be banned "for its main uses" by 2021.

The World Health Organisation has previously said that glyphosate-based weed killers are “probably carcinogenic”, but Monsanto denies the claim and intends to appeal against the American ruling.

Wrexham Council said it would update councillors on its own position in the near future, however added that the use of such products is authorised by the European Union.

Cllr David A Bithell, lead member for environment and transport, said: “In February this year, the homes and environment scrutiny committee met to discuss the authority’s use of glyphosate-based herbicides as a method of weed control.

“At that meeting, it was agreed that the authority minimise its use of glyphosate-based herbicides in areas identified by European Directives on its use. An update report, examining best practice and staff training, will be presented to scrutiny committee soon.

“However, we note that the use of glyphosate-based weed-killers is authorised by the European Union, British Government and the Health and Safety Executive.”

At February's meeting, the council admitted to the 'over application' of the product after concerns were raised by Cartrefle councillor Ronnie Prince.

Officers stressed that the issue had been acknowledged and dealt with accordingly.

They said providing training to staff was key to preventing it from happening again, but also claimed current alternatives to the product were more expensive and not as effective.