London: The government must introduce new legal powers to tackle plant and animal species that are invading Britain at a rate never seen before, a committee of MPs has warned.

Species such as Japanese knotweed, the North American signal crayfish, killer shrimp and zebra mussels not only have an impact on biodiversity by supplanting native species, but affect human health and the economy, according to a report from the environmental audit committee.

In 2012, 1,875 non-native species were counted in Great Britain a figure increasing by 10 species a year 282 of which had become invasive. The report, Invasive Non-native Species, says England and Wales need better prevention, surveillance, monitoring and eradication measures, and new powers to kill off invasive species before they become established. Existing laws prohibit the release of non-native animals and plants into the wild, but have never been used to prosecute anyone and is unlikely to provide the level of protection needed, the MPs warned.

The chair of the committee, Joan Walley MP, said: “The growth of international trade and travel means more non-native plants and animals are being introduced into Britain than ever before and as our climate changes more species are likely to find a foothold here. Not all of these species will become invasive, but the ones that do can harm native wildlife, clog up our waterways, cause costly problems for homeowners and sometimes even harm human health.

“It is too expensive to control or eradicate all invasive species, so we have to be smart and pick the fights that we know we can win. We may just have to live with grey squirrels and rhododendrons in much of the UK, but we can and must control other invasive species like the killer shrimp devastating ecosystems in our rivers and lakes. Identifying potentially invasive species before arrival is critical as once organisms like the frightening Asian hornet are here, they can be very difficult to control.”

The European Environment Agency estimates invasive species cost EU countries £12 billion (Dh74 billion) a year. In the UK, grey squirrels are estimated to cause £10 million of damage to trees each year, Japanese knotweed costs £1.5 billion a year to eradicate and it cost £11m to remove rhododendron from one national park in Wales alone, according to the Country Land and Business Association. Evidence given to the committee by the Angling Trust cited the North American signal crayfish and killer shrimp, which prey on fish stocks, and plants such as floating pennywort that deprives fish of oxygen. The cost of water treatment increases when zebra mussels clog intake pipes.

Some invasive species have effects on human health. Anglers coming into contact with giant hogweed have suffered skin inflammation, while the pollen of common ragweed causes asthma. The Asian hornet not yet found in the UK has killed six people in France and the oak processionary moth found in areas of south and south-west London last year can cause respiratory and skin problems.

The current system of “listing” species to be monitored and controlled is too slow, the report warns, and it calls for the eradication of species before they can become established.

Walley pointed to the example of Scotland, which has introduced legal powers to take quick action when invasive species are identified as a threat.

“They use species control orders. The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust head of conservation policy, Carrie Hume who gave evidence to the committee said: “Our much-loved wildlife is under constant threat from damaging non-native species. Invasive species are too often mistakenly dismissed as tomorrow’s problem, by which time damage and cost has already risen exponentially. I’m pleased the MPs have raised the urgency of this issue today and made really effective recommendations to prevent problems before they get out of hand.” to allow access to land to establish the presence of invasive species, and to implement any necessary control measures. The Law Commission have concluded that such powers should be replicated in England and Wales. We agree. The government needs to get these implemented straight away.”

The Woodland Trust director of conservation, Austin Brady, said: “We are clear that continued targeted management of invasive species such as rhododendron and grey squirrels must be supported at government level. We have seen first-hand how these species cause physical damage to our precious ancient woodland and carry disease which can decimate our native wildlife; to leave them unchecked in the long term would be a real failure to safeguard our natural heritage.”

The committee’s report included evidence from 19 witnesses including academics, research bodies, NGOs, industry groups, regulatory bodies and Lord de Mauley, the Defra parliamentary under-secretary of state for natural environment and science.