invasive plant , never seen it before

this was popping up at top of garden so started weeding and found that it has these long white roots which break easily. It is invading and coming up in the lawn too

As the soil is hard the roots are breaking and as the plant is at ground level anyway I stopped hand weeding and have gone for the glyphosate.

Google lens thinks it is Veronica Beccabunga but there is nothing about invasion and beccabunga is on sale

 

There are several plants that it resembles.
Ajuga springs to mind as one possibility

 

Is your garden very damp? Veronica beccabunga (brooklime) is a marginal/wetland plant. Apparently it can spread in conditions that it likes, but it wouldn't grow at all here although some of the other veronicas do well. V.prostrata makes good ground cover.

Bugle also spreads around making good ground cover. I wouldn't call it invasive, but perhaps it's not one for people who like their plants to stay in tidy little clumps and not spread and mingle.

 

I think it's one of the best names ever given to a plant, along with polygonum baldschuanicum.

 

Hi yes, it is shady, not so much damp, but the soil is heavy clay, so it must be suiting it. Just surprised how thick the rhizomes are when there isn't so much in the way of plant above the soil.

However many years you've been gardening there is always something new.