Experts warn gardeners DON'T install artificial 'fake' grass this summer - here's why

Homeowners are being cautioned against installing artificial grass this summer The material can have devastating effects on the overall ecosystem of gardens  READ MORE: Artificial grass can lead to increased flooding risk, insurer warns

As the summer season begins, garden enthusiasts across the UK are being cautioned against the use of artificial grass or turf in their gardens.

Despite its rising popularity as a low-maintenance alternative to natural lawns, experts warn of significant environmental drawbacks.

Two primary reasons for avoiding synthetic grass have been highlighted by researchers at The University of Plymouth.

First, it harms the soil and inhibits wildlife, including crucial insects that play vital roles in breeding and pollination.

Studies indicate that insect populations in the UK have plummeted by 80 per cent over the past two decades, and a further decline could devastate the food chain, according to reports from the Express.

As the summer season begins, garden enthusiasts across the UK are being cautioned against the use of artificial grass or turf in their gardens (stock image)

Natural grass, along with wildflowers, daisies, buttercups, and even dandelions, provides essential habitats for insects, while artificial grass lacks the necessary components for mating and pollination.

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The second concern expressed by researchers is the increased risk of flooding.

Artificial turf dehydrates the underlying soil, reducing its quality, and fails to absorb rainwater due to its plastic composition -  resulting in heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, as water has no place to drain.

Mick Hanley, Associate Professor of Plant-Animal Interactions at the University of Plymouth, expressed concerns about the environmental impact of artificial lawns.

Speaking to Leeds Live, he said: 'If you are putting what is ostensibly a plastic film across the soil, you are reducing the amount of rainfall entering the soil, so it's going to dry out.

'Artificial lawns also negatively affect soil health as they limit the supply of both air and water to the soil beneath them, impacting the tiny organisms that live in the soil as a result.'

Experts encourage the use of natural lawns as they can effectively take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen, while acting as an air filter that traps and absorbs smoke, dust, and pollutants that would otherwise be breathed in by us.

According to Lawn Tech, natural grass also improves water quality, prevents soil erosion, absorbs sound and reduces noise pollution, all while providing seed for birds and a home for insects.

Experts say that installing artificial grass can have harmful effects on the soil, while inhibiting wildlife, including crucial insects that play vital roles in breeding and pollination

Additionally, studies show that having access to a natural lawn can even help in reducing stress and enhancing wellbeing.

It comes after Britain's leading gardening groups insisted that installing a fake plastic lawn should be as socially unacceptable as blowing cigarette smoke in a baby’s face.

They argue that laying products such as AstroTurf – originally an all-weather sports surface – should be considered a crime against nature for the ‘extreme environmental damage’ they are causing.

One in ten British households have replaced their garden’s lawn with artificial grass, but Lynne Marcus, of the Society of Garden Designers, said: ‘We want to get through to people who are thinking of putting in artificial grass that it’s as serious as not wearing a seatbelt or blowing smoke in your baby’s face.

'I find it remarkable that people think it's not OK to get a plastic bag, but it’s OK to cover your whole garden with plastic sheeting, which is what you’re effectively doing – and destroying 1,000 years of topsoil to do it.'