They are a thorough pest and very difficult to get rid of, Whistonlass.

Try cutting them back as much as you can, then use a brushwood killer on them. After that, it's dig, dig, dig. Plus, you'll always have to watch out for small ones from buried seeds or odd escaped roots.

We live next door to a farm, and although I haven't got your problem, I have to climb up and cut off the ones that come over the walls and fences. Ouch!

Welcome to GOY, by the way.

Just to add a bit of detail to Spritz's suggestion of brushwood killer - cut back all topgrowth, dig around a bit and expose the large, knobbly woody root - drill into it with a small or medium wood bit to make holes a quarter to an eighth of an inch deep (careful, its easy to drill right through with these). Then fill the holes you've made with SBK (neat, wear gloves, don't spill it anywhere else, its like water), cover with something, anything, an upturned flowerpot, whatever, replace the soil around and carry on to the next one. This is for well established large brambles where you can't dig the root out - if it has that large knobbly lump of root at the base of the topgrowth, you won't be able to get it all out, so don't bother, just poison it and leave it.

Thank you both for your replies...and the warm welcome, Spritzhenry. I shall take your advice on board and see if we can eradicate these monsters!

Good luck with them. It would be interesting to see a set of 'before', 'during' and 'after' photos! Don't forget to take photos...

Welcome Whistonlass. I can't offer any advice that hasn't already been given, but I do wish you luck with getting rid of the dreaded bramble and look forward to seeing the 'before' and 'after' shots.

Am only now catchin up as I've been on holiday. Welcome to GoY. :o))

Thanks for the welcome, Linda....I'm spending much too much time on GOY gathering inspiration and reading blogs! It's been a wet and windy day today so nothing doin' in the garden! (I'm a fair weather lady...lol).