Counter terrorism: My Ficus, Hydrogen Peroxide and a Knock at the Door

I love my houseplants. They make the home feel alive, and none more so than my beautiful Ficus. But recently, I’ve been battling a problem that will be familiar to many plant lovers: soil bugs. These tiny pests have been driving me mad, and no matter what I tried, they seemed determined to stay.

After several failed remedies, my husband did some research and came across a popular gardening hack: mixing a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide and water to kill soil-dwelling pests without harming the plant. It sounded simple enough. I asked him to get some.

What I didn’t expect was that something as ordinary as hydrogen peroxide could land us in the middle of a police procedure.

Hydrogen peroxide, in low concentrations, is sold in pharmacies and supermarkets for disinfecting wounds or as a mild cleaning agent. But in higher concentrations, it is a regulated chemical as it can also be misused to make explosives. In the UK, the Poisons Act 1972 (as amended by the Deregulation Act 2015) and the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations set out strict rules about how certain substances are sold and monitored. If a customer orders a large or unusual quantity of hydrogen peroxide (or other listed chemicals), the supplier must report this by filing a Precursor Chemical / Suspicious Transaction Report.

• The report is made on a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) form, sometimes called a Regulation 9 Notification
• These go to the National Contact Point (NCP) at the Home Office or directly to the police
• Suppliers must also report suspicious behaviour, thefts, or seizures of relevant chemicals

Innocent household projects can therefore look very different when viewed through the lens of chemical security.

A Cheaper Postage Decision That Changed Everything

Alongside the hydrogen peroxide, my husband decided, quite sensibly, he thought, that since postage was cheaper, he’d also order:

• a large bottle of acetic acid (vinegar to you and me) to make his own natural weedkiller for the garden, and
• a three-litre container of acetone for one of his other hobbies: furniture restoration

The bottles arrived and, as life got busy, they stayed sitting on the kitchen counter.

Fast-forward a couple of weeks, and there was a knock at the door. My husband was out walking the dogs, so I answered.

On the doorstep stood a police officer, papers in hand. He introduced himself as a Chief Inspector, immediately reassuring me that he hoped this was nothing to worry about. Then he explained why he was there: the police had been alerted about the chemicals that had been ordered, their type and the quantities, as, in the wrong hands, they could be used to make a bomb.

At first, I was taken aback. But as the Chief Inspector calmly explained the procedures and the safeguards in place, both my husband (once he returned with the dogs) and I began to feel genuinely reassured. It was comforting to know that there are processes in place designed to detect and investigate suspicious chemical purchases so that in cases of malicious intent, action could be taken to prevent harm.

The professional approach of the Chief Inspector was laudable, indeed, by the time he left, any tension had completely lifted. He even quipped that he now knew exactly where to come if he ever ran out of vinegar for his chips!

So, lessons learned:

• Always check the concentration and regulatory status of chemicals before ordering
• Only buy what you need—large quantities might raise alarms even if your intentions are innocent
• If the police ever come knocking, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done anything wrong. The system is working to keep everyone safe

This whole episode has left me far more aware and appreciative that the line between ordinary home life and national security is carefully guarded. And finally, yes, for those gardeners out there, the hydrogen peroxide did cure the Ficus bugs problem.

Sara Spinks

SSS Author & Former Headteacher

10 September 2025