THEY have been banned in France and across swathes of Latin America.

Now, a Scots council has dramatically cut back on using herbicides by adopting a pioneering new system to kill the weeds blighting its streets using only water.

Aberdeen City Council has become the first UK municipal authority to deploy the new machine, which blasts weeds with boiling hot water.

Such is the power and heat from the machines, which cost around £12,000, they also remove ground-in chewing gum from the Granite City's streets more effectively than any other tried method.

The local authority said the systems were widely used across Europe, with the equipment purchased after a month;s trail earlier this year.

The announcement comes amid international moves towards banning certain types of weedkillers and a month after France announced it was removing some brands from over-the-counter sales.

The French Government outlawed Roundup from sales at garden centres after the active ingredient was classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the United Nations.

The weedkiller is used by amateur gardeners as well as farmers and is the foremost product of American biotechnology giant Mosanto.

Earlier this year over 30,000 doctors and health experts throughout Latin America demanded that other weedkiller products be banned.

Aberdeen's political head of communities, housing and infrastructure, Cllr Neil Cooney, said: “More and more countries are banning the use of certain types of weedkillers so it makes sense for Aberdeen to stay ahead of the legislation and take the best environmentally-friendly course of action now available to control weed growth.

“Protecting the environment is extremely important to the city council and this excellent system allows us to get rid of weeds simply by dousing them with hot water.

"An added advantage is that we can also use it as a quick and efficient way to get rid of unsightly chewing gum and graffiti."

A council spokesman added: "Chewing gum on the streets is a blight on Scotland's towns and cities but this machine has proved to be the most effective tool we have to remove it. We have tried freezing, scraping and steaming the substance from 55,000 square metres of public space in the heart of the city but simple hot water is doing the trick most effectively."

The council secured the Cardley-Wave system after officials attended the company’s launch event in March in Bristol, the European Green Capital City 2015. The system proved effective and one of devices was purchased.

The system basically comprises a pump and water heater. It is transported from site to site on the back of a truck, which also carries a large water tank. The water heater can be set to deliver either hot water or steam via a hose that can be fitted with a range of attachments to suit the task at hand. The water contains no additives.

Weeds can be soaked up to three times over a period of time to totally kill the toughest varieties but smaller weeds can be seen wilting after one treatment.

The method is in line with a European Union directive which states that countries must keep herbicide and pesticides usage to levels which “reduce or minimise the risks to human health or the environment.”

Cardley-Wave group marketing manager Josh Sweeney said: “Our range of systems are one of the most popular and proven environmentally-friendly methods of weed control in Europe, so it speaks volumes that the first council to try our system in the UK is also the first UK local authority to invest to purchase outright.”