Lionel writes

it is a tall grass like plant with spikey stalks and little
brown balls that grow part way up the stem....

Although I have a book giving the wild flower key by Dr Francis Rose
(revised and expanded 2nd edition), the info you give is insufficient to
identify the plant accurately but I believe it to of the allium family.

Pam's later comment
.the stalks of the plant are round and very sharp at
the end (I got poked in the eye by one last year...ouch !)
would rule out alliums.

Rose doesn't cover grasses, sedges and rushes, does it?
--
Kay