Glyphosate is commonly sold under the trade name Roundup

Dublin councils are experimenting with using hot foam, concentrated vinegar and blowtorches instead of Roundup in parks, playgrounds and along roadsides.

The four local authorities in the capital are trialling alternative weedkillers to glyphosate after a court in America awarded a terminally ill man $289m (€252m) on the basis that the chemical caused his cancer.

Limerick council is also investigating alternatives to glyphosate, the most popular weedkiller in the world and commonly sold under the trade name Roundup. The World Health Organisation has said it is “probably carcinogenic”.

A US jury found that glyphosate contributed to the cancer of school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, and that its manufacturer, Monsanto, “acted with malice or oppression”. Monsanto plans to appeal the ruling.

Fingal council said it has stopped