Neighbours say overgrown trees in street forcing them to 'live in darkness'
People living in a residential street in Staffordshire have said some council trees along their road have grown out of control and are blocking the light from coming into their homes.
Families claim sap from the "overgrown" lime trees damages their cars and that leaves clog up drains, costing them more than £1,000 a year to clean.
Residents of Hillport Avenue, Porthill, also say the roots have damaged the pavement and boundary walls - and fear they could damage the structure of their properties, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
They are now calling for Staffordshire County Council to pull down the trees or at least cut them back, with 71 people signing a petition.
Christina says the lime tree has caused damage to the pavement as well as her property and vehicles (BPM MEDIA)David Leese, 67, and his wife Christina Leese, 68, who organised the petition, said: "We have lived here for 35 years and the trees have been a pain for 20 years.
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"The trees have damaged the car and the sap takes the paint off. It is costing us money all the time. We have to have the guttering cleaned three or four times a year.
"The council is not doing anything at all. Branches have hit our motorhome and the car. I was that fed up last year I phoned Aaron Bell MP.
"A councillor told us it would cost £2.25 million to take all the trees out. We asked an independent tree surgeon who said it would cost £1,000 a tree. We have offered to pay for the tree outside our house to be cut down and the council have said you cannot do that.
"They do not realise how big lime trees grow. They have told us they can't take them out. The only thing they will do is pollard them. The council will not pay loads of money to take them out.
"We believe the tree is costing us £1,500 to £2,000 a year. It has just shot up in the last 20 years. They can grow for hundreds of years.
"Every season has its own problems. We get insects, then flies. We know the roots are under our property. We like trees and we have offered to plant a new tree which is more appropriate."
Martin Jones, 62, and Sue Jones, 70, have lived on the street for more than 40 years.
Martin said: "They were really small when we moved in. They are now massively out of control.
"We get no light. Our gutters have to be cleaned two or three times a year. The lime tree has smashed the water pipe. We are worried the roots could damage the structure of the house.
"They are the wrong tree for this road. They chose the wrong species of tree. We had to have the wall rebuilt last year."
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Sue added: "The pavement is dangerous. Last year we had to pay for the gutters to be cleaned three times. The trees are too big. It is nice to have an avenue of trees.
"But they have not been pruned for years. They need to do the job properly. The lack of light in the house caused by the tree is a nightmare."
Martin and Sue Jones next to the lime tree outside their home (BPM MEDIA)Margaret Leese, aged 93, said: "The trees are out of control. The roots are damaging the pavement and people's properties. They never trim them at all. They block our view."
Nikita Buxton, aged 24, added: "The sap leaves a mess on the cars. They need more maintenance as the sap destroys everything."
David Williams, cabinet member for highways and transport at Staffordshire County Council, said: "People with concerns about trees or any other issue affecting the roads or pavements can report them on the MyStaffs App or at www.staffordshire.gov.uk. All highways reports are investigated by an inspector and any work or action is scheduled as appropriate.
"We will of course consider the petition and the points raised within it when we receive it."
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