Hairy Panic Devastates Wangaratta As It Sweeps Through Small Australian Town

Hairy Panic Devastates Small Australian Town With Weed Menace
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Roof high hairy panic is sweeping through homes and paddocks in a small Australian town, leaving behind it a trail of devastation.

Clogging up pipes and entrances, frustrated residents in Wangaratta have seen the "weed menace" stack up outside their buildings.

Forced to clear the wild tumbleweeds themselves without help from authorities, onlookers say the grass is tiring them both physically and mentally.

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A resident stares into the abyss of hairy panic

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Paddock panic as the tumbleweeds devastate large areas

With every breath of wind, more of the nuisance sweeps into their homes, and because it doesn't pose a fire hazard, they are left to clear it away on their own.

"It is frustrating. You know that you've got a good couple of hours work ahead of you and that's always sort of displeasing," exhausted resident Jason Perna told a local news channel.

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The tumbleweed buries residents' gardens

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Hairy panic has rendered this set of chairs useless

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Entire gardens have been submerged

The grass, which is found in every Australian state, is suspected to have come from an overgrown paddock.

It grows rapidly and can form tumbleweeds with seeds inside, deadly for dispersion.

It is called 'hairy' because no other of its Panicum species have long hairs along the edges of their leaves.