WHEN Phil Courtney left England for Australia in 2003, he knew he was in for big things.

However, the 33-year-old father of two didn’t imagine that would include playing the part of a giant weed in a TV commercial.

Mr Courtney works as a team leader in weed control for Far North Coast Weeds, which shot a TV ad to raise awareness of the ways weeds are spread.

In the ad, Mr Courtney plays the role of a giant woody weed which is inadvertently picked up by the driver of a VW Kombi, played by Molly Willoughby from Newcastle.

The ad and related promotional items will be launched to coincide with Weed Buster Week – September 5-11 – to provide information about preventing the spread of weeds.

According to Far North Coast Weeds weed management director Jim Willmott, weeds can be spread through vehicles and farm machinery, contamination of stock feed and the illegal dumping of plant material.

He said efforts for weed control were focused on new incursions where there was still hope of eradication.

For information about the ways North Coast Weeds can help landholders control weed spread, visit: www.fncw.nsw.gov.au.