Looks like Common Ragwort, Poisonous to cattle,if it is Ragwort pull it up a put into bin (not recycle or compost)
Wear some gloves
But i may be wrong

Ragwort, deffo. I'm sure you can compost it, just don't leave it where livestock can eat it in a wilted or dried up state. But I think horses etc would have to eat a fair bit of it to suffer from liver toxicity.

Thank you Jiffy and Beattie. I shall get rid of it pronto.

It's entirely your choice of course but there are insects who only feed on ragwort so it's an important plant.

As Beattie rightly says, it is dead ragwort that causes the problems because the living stuff is so horrible to the taste that animals ignore it.

It's been estimated that human would have to eat 6kg of ragwort to be fatally poisoned. Obviously, for a horse it is much more but it is cumulative so that amount might get eaten over a long period.

I googled it and saw that it is a notifiable weed and must be reported to the local authority. Did that, was told to ring 'Natural England' and tell them. Did that, was told to ring 'Injurious Weeds'. Did that, was told it is not illegal to have it in your garden but it is illegal to let it spread. Was told to dig it up with roots, then burn it or ring the local authority to find out where to take it. I am sure I have seen it elsewhere in the village and we have two more in the front garden alongside the road. We have several riding schools nearby and they often ride past the house so we'll dig them up and burn them.

Yes it's a notifiable weed, but lots of people don't report it, lots of farmer's were i live don't report it or even dig it up 2 farms have cattle and horses in the same field and seen one animal eating it when it's the same as in your pic (in the green)

Sorry, but it is not a 'notifiable weed'. In fact, there's no such thing as a notifiable weed.

It is not illegal to let it spread. You only get in trouble with the law if you are given an order under the Weeds Act and you ignore it.

The Ragwort Control Act of 2003 provided for the establishment of a Code of Practice for dealing with it. The CoP makes it clear that you have to ensure there is no risk of it getting onto land where it might get ingested.

Casso, as I said, can do what he likes in his own garden but anyone removing ragwort without the landowner's permission is committing an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

I recommend looking at http://www.ragwortfacts.com/ because there is a lot of misinformation around about ragwort.

I didn't think it was illegal to let it spread - it grows on lots of roadside verges and central reservations on dual carriageways and the council seems pretty "relaxed", not to mention negligent, about removing it, in these parts.