Fast-growing tumbleweed called hairy panic blows into Australian city

Dry grass piles up around homes in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria - at times reportedly reaching roof height

Residents of a rural Australian city are frustrated by a fast-growing tumbleweed called hairy panic that is piling up outside their houses, covering lawns and blocking doors and windows.

Hairy panic is piling up outside several homes in Wangaratta in north-east Victoria - at times reportedly reaching roof height - forcing residents to clear it several times a day. About 20 residences on Bella Way, a new development hard against the fringe of farmland, have been particularly affected, with the grass blowing over from neighbouring fields.