HAMPSHIRE County Council will continue to use weed killers that contain an ingredient deemed by an American court to “cause cancer”.

Hampshire County Council uses herbicides which contain glyphosate, an ingredient used in a wide-range of domestically available weed killers.

However, one brand Monsanto, which is owned by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, was ordered to pay $289 million in damages to Californian school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, after a jury decided that the herbicide – which he frequently used in his job – had caused him to develop lymphatic cancer.

The announcement of the verdict caused Bayer’s stock to fall sharply and the company has announced that it will be appealing the decision, saying that the verdict was based on “junk science” and an “inflamed” jury.

However legal experts have said that the company faces an “uphill climb” to overturn the verdict.

Now, when asked if they would continue to use the products, Hampshire County Council said it will look into how it uses it.

A spokesperson for the county council said: “In the light of this ruling, we will look into the use of glyphosate based weed killers on Hampshire’s highways; however, given their widespread use we also await guidance from central government.”

Monsanto has maintained that Roundup has been proven safe based on “40 years of safe glyposate use and studies”, but in 2015 the World Health Organisation ruled that glyphosates are “probably carcinogenic to humans”.

Other studies have also shown that Roundup and glyphosate based products can be harmful to animals, causing vomiting and poisoning like symptoms, although it is not considered to pose a life-threatening risk.

Wilko and Homebase have both announced that they will be reviewing their glyphosate based products in the wake of the court ruling, meaning that they could be pulling Roundup Weed Killer from their shelves.

B&Q is also currently reviewing their garden services range, including Roundup, as part of a full service review that was started in 2017, prior to the court ruling.

The European Parliament has also called for the product to be banned by 2022, and 1.3 million European citizens signed a petition calling for it to be taken off shelves in 2016.

Several authorities across the country have banned their use entirely, seeking alternative options for weed killer.